China, ASEAN launch commemorative book on regional forum

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched a commemorative book for the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Tuesday.

The 285-page book, funded by China, is a collection of articles by senior diplomats, photos, milestone documents and statements in the history of the multilateral forum for dialogues.

"The ARF represents a new model of security dialogue and cooperation for countries in the Asia Pacific and provides an important platform for benign interactions between big countries and between big countries on the one hand and small and medium- sized countries on the other in the region," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said a foreword.

It is time to think deeply about the future course of the regional forum, Wang said.

He called for efforts to make confidence building a core mission, advance cooperation in non-traditional security and uphold the principle of non-interference in the security dialogue within the framework of the growing multilateral dialogue.

The ASEAN Regional Forum was established at the initiative of the ASEAN Leaders Summit in 1992 at the end of the Cold War, and has been growing to include countries from the region and far beyond.

Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, minister of foreign affairs and trade of Brunei, the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, said that the forum has successfully attracted growing international interest thanks to its approach known as the ASEAN way -- "respect for each other and recognition of one another's priorities, leading to constructive dialogue, exchanges of views and wherever possible, consensus."

The ten-nation ASEAN has been known for its flexility and its accommodation for differences, which is different from the mechanisms of the European Union, said Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

The ASEAN has been striving to achieve its target of building an ASEAN Community by the end of 2015, but scholars have said that the community building will be an evolving process instead of something that can be achieved in a definite number of years.

The blueprint, however, is nevertheless helpful in gauging how much of the commitments have been achieved.

The ASEAN is also looking to develop aspirational goals beyond 2015.