Author: Hoang Thi Ha

Published: 26 Jun 2026

Amid rapid geopolitical shifts, ASEAN should focus more on practical outcomes and developing capabilities rather than expending effort on negotiating lengthy statements.

Every year, officials spend considerable diplomatic effort negotiating lengthy joint statements ahead of ASEAN summits and ministerial meetings. The final documents project an image of unity, but the negotiating process often reveals as much divergence as consensus, especially on major economic and political-security issues. The annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) joint communiqué illustrates the point. The grouping should focus more on practical outcomes and building capabilities than spending time and effort wrangling over a form of words.

For full article, please open the link:

https://fulcrum.sg/rethinking-asean-cooperation-fewer-words-more-action/

The article was published by ISEAS.

IRSEA and ISEAS have agreed to enter into a relationship of cooperation.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA