International Collaboration Concerning Southeast Asia

Following conventional usage, Southeast Asia is defined as the region consisting of Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, North and South Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. At present there is no organization to which all Southeast Asian nations belong. Regional economic collaboration is being obstructed or impeded by nationalism, national economic policies of autarchy, industrialization based on import substitution, and an un-ripened sense of regional identity. In view of the seriousness of the obstacles, regional bodies such as ASEAN should devote themselves to the promotion of practical projects and not aim for grandiose schemes which are beyond their present capacities to realize. Collaboration between two or three countries in the region should be encouraged. Encouraging progress is being made in the fields of education and training, which is not only important in itself but also builds confidence for other forms of regional collaboration. A plea is made for greater support from the developed countries, particularly from the major powers, for regional projects. Such support should, ideally, be accorded high priority in the aid policies of the developed countries. The collaboration between ASEAN and ECAFE (Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East) is also seen as important, and could provide a valuable impetus to the growth of regionalism in Southeast Asia.