... important players in concluding economic agreements with countries and regional blocks across the globe. This in turn not only contributed to greater dynamism for the world economy, but also served to increase its openness through trade accords such as the China-ASEAN FTA or the many FTAs with countries across the globe concluded by ASEAN members individually. It is also important to note the role of ASEAN in advancing digital economic cooperation, with Singapore being one of the leaders in concluding digital ...
... includes strengthening Russia’s security in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
In the context of rebuilding foreign economic relations and creating a new model of the global order, the most important directions are cooperation with world powers – China and India as well as Brazil – and with leading regional players – Turkey, ASEAN countries, the Gulf states, Iran, Egypt, Algeria, Israel, South Africa, Pakistan, Argentina, Mexico and others.
It is in these areas, rather than in traditional Euro-Atlantic arenas, that the main resources of diplomacy, foreign economic relations,...
... heavyweights (possibly members of G20 from the Global South). The alternative is the aggregation of the regional integration blocs of all of the five BRICS members – represented by the BEAMS platforms consisting of BIMSTEC, Eurasian Economic Union, the ASEAN-China FTA, Mercosur and the South African Customs Union – leading to the addition of up to 25 members (the 5 times 5 geometric progression – or the 5 BRICS taken to the power of 2) of the BRICS+ circle that are the regional neighbors/partners of BRICS ...
... additional contracts
. This is precisely what happened with China’s trade agreement with Hong Kong, which covered a limited number of service industry sectors and investment in 2004, as well as with Beijing’s agreement with Macau. The agreement with ASEAN evolved in a similar manner. Importantly, China has stayed true to this integration course for two decades.
The RCEP may very well evolve in the same way. While it is true that there are no fundamentally new agreements within this partnership in its current form and that its main purpose remains ...
... to building the BRICS+ platform.
That regional approach was also evidenced in the Forum of political parties, think-tanks and NGOs that was held on May 19th in BRICS+ format - among the countries invited to participate were Cambodia (chairmanship in ASEAN in 2022) as well as Senegal and Argentina that represented Africa and Latin America respectively. In effect China thus presented an inclusive format for dialogue spanning all the main regions of the Global South via aggregating the regional integration platforms in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. Going forward this format may be further expanded to include ...
... in relatively inexpensive opportunities to train specialists and engineers in Russia. The idea of
ASEAN centrality
could also facilitate the acceptance of Russia in the Southeast Asian subregion, which forms the core of the Asia-Pacific as a whole. ASEAN’s
sourness
over the recent summit in Washington represents a chance for the Russian Federation to gain a foothold as a third party amidst the U.S.-China rivalry. Taking advantage of Russia’s
observer status
at NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) is also feasible, Moscow could revitalize its participation in a number of regional bodies, not simply taking these gatherings as a chance to get a protocol photo....
... and Road Initiative (BRI).
Another crucial driver for the R5+ initiative is the significant progression of regional integration initiatives across the Global South. In particular there is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) led by China and the ASEAN economies. In Africa the key integration initiative is the African Continental Free Trade Area launched in 2018. Another important development is the rising coordination among the regional integration blocks and the signing of the respective memoranda ...
... among the three great powers. Such interaction is also needed for engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a key aspect of the Greater Eurasian Partnership. It is even more necessary for building up the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ... ... which are linked with New Delhi through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Much as India finds Russia’s partnership with China useful for managing its own relations with Beijing, Moscow could use its close relations with New Delhi to weigh in diplomatically ...
... Washington’s priority in foreign policy.
Kamala Harris reaffirmed
the U.S. commitment to the international rules-based order, ensuring freedom on the seas, unimpeded commerce and advancing human rights. Although the U.S. Vice President noted that China continues to coerce and intimidate, Washington’s engagement in Southeast Asia, she argued, is not against any country, nor is it designed to make ASEAN member states choose between countries. At the same time, almost all Indo-Pacific states, either known as the so-called Quad—the United States, Japan, India and Australia—or those willing to join the initiative on a less binding basis, have ...
... out. The NEA countries should probably scrutinize the experience of Southeast Asia, where the subsisting socioeconomic and political plurality, grave inter-country contradictions and conflicts did not hamper successful integration under the banners of ASEAN.
As a matter of fact, a certain degree of fragmentation and disunity are present in the very dynamic and extensive Russia–China cooperation in the NEA. So far, our interactions have often fanned out into a set of highly important yet independent projects that are not always closely interconnected. Individual projects are implemented in the military-technical area, energy,...
