The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on Aug. 8, 1967 in Bangkok by five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

　　Brunei joined the group in January 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999.

　　The ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million, a total area of 4.5 million square km, a combined gross domestic product of 737 billion US dollars and a total trade volume of 720 billion dollars.

　　The aims and purposes of the association are to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership.

　　In 1992, the ASEAN heads of state and government declared that ASEAN should intensify its external dialogues in political and security matters as a means of building ties of cooperation with states in the Asia-Pacific region.

　　Two years later, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was establishedto promote confidence-building, preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution in the region.

　　The present participants in the ARF are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore,Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.

　　The highest decision-making organ of ASEAN is the ASEAN summit.

　　The ASEAN summit is convened every year. An ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting is also held on an annual basis. Ministerial meetings on several other sectors are also held: agriculture and forestry, economics, energy, environment, finance, information, investment, labor law, rural development and poverty alleviation,science and technology, social welfare, transnational crime, transportation, tourism youth, the AIA Council and, the AFTA Council.

　　The secretary-general of ASEAN is appointed on merit and accorded ministerial status. The secretary-general, who has a five-year term, is mandated to initiate, advise, coordinate, and implement ASEAN activities. The members of the professional staff of the ASEAN Secretariat are appointed on the principle of open recruitment and region-wide competition.

　　ASEAN economic cooperation covers the following areas: trade, investment, industry, services, finance, agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation and communication, intellectual property, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and tourism.