political-security level. Compared to the European Community (EC), which focuses on economic integration and then political-security cooperation to create a unified Europe with sustainable peace, ASEAN focuses on political-security cooperation to develop economic integration. After the fundamental improvement in relations with the Indochinese countries through the three countries joining ASEAN, this regional organization plays the role of the nucleus of the cooperation process not only in the Southeast Asian sub-region but also in the whole of East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
The outstanding achievement in ASEAN's political cooperation is the creation of a stable internal security environment for the development of economic cooperation through institutions such as the Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) and especially the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as a mechanism to ensure external security covering the entire region. The first meeting of the ARF in Bangkok, July 1994, attracted the participation of major countries in the region such as the US, Japan, China, Russia, Australia and the EC. This is a great success of ASEAN and this success of ASEAN is also a favorable factor, promoting the creation of a stable cooperative environment in the current new international context, for peace and development of the region.
In addition to favorable factors through political linkages, the promotion of economic linkages is playing a very important role, especially with the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). This initiative has demonstrated the determination of ASEAN leaders to upgrade and develop economic relations, deepening intra-bloc economic relations, expanding and commensurate with the great potential of the regional market.
Regarding tariffs, ASEAN aims to reduce tariffs, gradually eliminating tariffs on all goods circulating within the bloc, and also moving towards eliminating quotas and non-tariff barriers. ASEAN countries
signed the Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) to enhance cooperation in trade in services and implement rapid liberalization in the service sector. ASEAN has also implemented an investment promotion program through the Framework Agreement on the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA), signed in October 1998, and the Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation (AICO). These two framework agreements are playing an active supporting role for the AFTA and AFAS processes. Through the process of economic integration, development triangles and quadrilaterals have been formed within the ASEAN group, promoting some of the strengths of each country, typically the Singapore triangle.
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- Joho of Malaysia - Riau Islands of Indonesia. This triangle has been formed and developed on the basis of cooperation based on Singapore's high-tech advantages along with the resources and human resources of the other two countries. In addition, there is the Phuket triangle (Thailand) - Northern Malaysia and Sumatra Island (Indonesia) with high economic growth thanks to cooperation in exploiting each side's advantages in rich mineral resources, convenient transportation network, developed agriculture and abundant labor resources.
In the future, AFTA will develop into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), as a pillar along with two other pillars, the Security Community (ASC) and the Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), towards the formation of the ASEAN Community in 2015, which was approved at the Bali Conference, Indonesia, October 2003. Achievements in ASEAN economic cooperation not only promote intra-regional economic integration and growth but also create the basis for expanding economic relations with partners throughout East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Through the above favorable political and economic factors, it can be seen that ASEAN economic development cooperation is taking place in a favorable direction. The process of economic and trade liberalization with AFTA is entering its final stage with the elimination of non-tariff barriers and the development of a common action program to promote comprehensive economic cooperation.
Although the proportion of trade with the outside of the bloc still accounts for the majority, the volume of intra-bloc trade tends to increase sharply. For example, in the period from 1990 to 2000, the proportion of intra-bloc transactions increased from 17.8% to 22.3%, people in the bloc have benefited from a reduction in commodity prices, an average of 20% per year, allowing for an average annual savings of 27 billion USD 1 . The ASEAN Economic Community is on the way from idea to reality. Initiatives within the framework of cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, China, and South Korea (ASEAN + framework) have also achieved many encouraging results and have had a positive and important impact on creating a stable political context and dynamic economic development in the region. The positive results of implementing the ASEAN + mechanism are also another success of ASEAN, a favorable factor to promote the idea of an East Asian Community with deep economic integration, creating a foundation for political and socio-cultural links, thereby enhancing ASEAN's position in the international arena.
international.
1.3.2 Current difficulties and challenges for ASEAN:
Entering the 21st century, in addition to the advantages of the international environment and the great achievements that have been achieved, strongly promoting political and economic integration to move towards the ASEAN Community in 2015, ASEAN is currently also facing some difficulties and many challenges. First of all, it is the unevenness in the level of socio-economic development. The group of old ASEAN member countries, especially Singapore and Malaysia, has a per capita income many times higher than the group of newly joined countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam. Technology, education and training... also have
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The large gap between rich and poor has also hindered the process of association and equal cooperation among members, leading to many limitations, affecting the overall strength and development speed of the region.
The differences in the socio-political regimes of some ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam, Laos or Myanmar, with other ASEAN members reflect different political systems, viewpoints and foreign political relations, and also demonstrate a lack of consensus in worldviews, perceptions, values and interests in foreign relations. This leads to differences in the selection of priority areas, policy making and implementation methods... of the regional cooperation process.
One challenge facing ASEAN today is that some member countries are facing internal difficulties that have affected the speed of association and the level of cooperation of the Association. Different domestic priorities among member countries have led to many projects and cooperation programs being approved but being delayed in implementation, and many member countries have sought their own path that is more beneficial to themselves than to the Association as a whole. In other words, internal cohesion in ASEAN is still loose and lacks consensus.
Another challenge for ASEAN comes from ASEAN's dialogue partners. It puts ASEAN in front of the need to both strengthen this cooperation, expand it to many more areas, but at the same time, it must play a proactive role in order to take advantage of the advantages and limit the negative impacts on ASEAN as well as on some members. The two-faced policies of these partners towards ASEAN always imply the intention to cause division within ASEAN, or at least among certain members, in order to create an influential role that is beneficial to themselves. This characteristic is shown in the dispute over sovereignty of islands in the East Sea between some ASEAN countries and China. This is a great difficulty and difficult to resolve among ASEAN member countries.
ASEAN with each other as well as affecting the cooperative relationship of the ASEAN + 3 mechanism, in which China is an important partner.
Difficulties and challenges for ASEAN also come from the international political and security environment. In the East Asia region, there are still conflicts, disputes and struggles for influence between major countries in and outside the region, such as the conflicts between China and Japan over maritime sovereignty, the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula, etc. Due to the important position and role of major countries, the movement of the above conflicts will affect and create challenges, impacting ASEAN's relations with major countries as well as relations between ASEAN members. In addition, terrorism, globalization and non-traditional security risks require ASEAN to have a new approach in linking ASEAN's dynamic and sustainable development with attention to resolving the above-mentioned new risks and challenges for ASEAN. On the current and future development path, it is time for ASEAN to not only demonstrate its role and practical effects in all aspects of intra-bloc connectivity, but also to move forward to play a more important and worthy role in the political and economic life of the East Asian region and the world.
1.4. Russia enters the 21st century
1.4.1 Characteristics and situation of the Russian Federation in the first decade of the 21st century:
The Russian Federation, the largest country in the world, with over 17 million km2 , spans 11 time zones and two continents, Asia and Europe. Russia's population in 2009 was over 140 million people, including many different ethnic groups, and its per capita income in purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2009 was 14,700 USD.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the Russian Federation fell into a period of chaos that lasted nearly 10 years. Foreign economic experts, mainly Americans, were invited to advise and outline plans for economic revival, institutional reform using "shock therapy" along with expanding freedoms and implementing democracy in politics through a multi-party political model. As a result, after that period of reform, Russia almost lost the shape of a country that inherited the former superpower Soviet Union. Economically, in the late 1980s, the value of the Soviet Union's gross domestic product was 3 times that of China, but by the late 1990s, this indicator was reversed - China was 3 times that of Russia . 1 Politically, the conflict between the legislative and executive branches of power brought the country to the brink of disintegration due to the threat to national unity. In foreign relations, Russia tries to integrate with the Western capitalist world with a very weak and passive position, not yet being an equal partner.
Since 1999, when Putin became Prime Minister and then President in 2000, Russia has gradually stabilized and developed, although it has inherited a legacy of economic and political decline and instability. During his two terms, President Putin has proposed a strategy to build a post-industrial society based on a "social market economy" in Russia and he has also affirmed the continuation of the market-oriented reform and democratic society building that his predecessor President Yeltsin had carried out. Compared to Yeltsin's policy, there has been no fundamental change, but President Putin has carried out a series of political, economic, social and foreign policy adjustments. The steps and reform methods of President Putin's administration appear to be more cautious but more determined than those of the previous administration, and that reform focuses on the role of macroeconomic regulation.
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of the State with the goal of improving people's lives, maintaining political stability for economic development, affirming the focus on economic development and social stability, in order to gradually strengthen and restore Russia's position.
In terms of domestic politics, the Russian government has implemented a policy of establishing a constructive cooperative relationship between the government and the State Duma, adjusting the legal system of the federal government and the regions towards strengthening the federal system with the system of direct power of the President, through the President's special envoys in the provinces. In addition, the government has implemented a policy of limiting the involvement of economic oligarchs in national political affairs and reclaiming the media from the oligarchs as well as cracking down on mafia criminal activities and corruption of government officials.
Economically, Russia continued its economic reforms towards a market economy but abandoned the “neoliberalism” model adopted under President Yeltsin, while strengthening the state’s regulatory role in the economy. The state must hold key economic sectors and effectively manage a unified national economy, avoiding the massive privatization and anarchy that had occurred previously. The state clearly defined its role in regulating the economy according to the principle of “state as much as necessary and freedom as necessary”. Government policies focus on measures to solve urgent problems facing the economy, first of all stimulating investment to promote economic growth, implementing an active industrial policy in the direction of prioritizing the development of key industries such as heavy industry, energy, defense industry... Another reform direction is finance, the Russian government has made many efforts in building an effective financial system through reforming the tax system, strict inspection and effective use of budget capital as a
important tool in the state's economic policy, at the same time quickly and thoroughly resolving the wage arrears of civil servants and workers, contributing to social stability, making the Russian economy grow and actively participating in the process of international economic integration.
Regarding foreign policy, after taking office, President Putin implemented a new foreign policy. Accordingly, he identified essential standards and contents in the fields of national security, foreign economics, defense, information and cultural exchange. The foreign policy of the Russian Federation during this period was determined to be closely linked and combined with the long-term task of developing the country for the national interest. The above adjustment of foreign policy has shown that Russia's idea is to pursue a more pragmatic and flexible foreign policy. In relations with the West, Russia pursues a policy of both cooperation and competition on the basis of equality and mutual respect without trying by all means to integrate into the Western world as before. For the CIS countries, Russia's policy is still considered the focus of foreign policy, in the spirit of enhancing cooperation but discriminating against members considered to be pro-Western. In relations with developing countries, Russia pays special attention to strengthening relations with China and India in the trend of jointly opposing the US's hegemonic and unipolar ideology.
With the tireless efforts and correct policies of the government, combined with favorable international factors, the situation in all aspects of the Russian Federation in the early years of the 21st century has had extremely positive changes, the country has overcome recession and has achieved very important achievements. The economy has continuously grown at a high rate, an average of 6.7% during President Putin's first term (2001-2004), especially in 2004, the Russian economy grew by 7.1%, GDP reached 583.3 billion USD, exports reached 142.8 billion USD, the budget has a continuous surplus, FDI attraction in 2004 reached 11.7 billion USD,