[Editorial] ASEM and engagement in the future

The sixth annual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will kick off on Sept. 10 for a two-day run in Helsinki, Finland. ASEM was born in March 1996 in order to meet the needs of quickly developing East Asian countries and their European counterparts. Europe also wanted an equivalent of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in their region. Since then, 10 years have passed, and currently ASEM has 39 member countries from both economic blocks. The outside growth was mainly thanks to the expansion of the European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Despite the growth in size, ASEM has failed to live up to expectations in terms of its international status. A report named "Review and Outlook for 10-year-old ASEM," which was released in March, also raised questions over the raison d’etre of the international gathering in context of the broader global community. A weaker ASEM can be explained in the changes taking place in the regional environment of the 21st century. Financial crises; anti-globalization protests; terrorist attacks. All of these incidents affected the way people think. Optimism, which had blossomed since the end of the Cold War, has receded, and passion for multilateral cooperation has diminished.

Another explanation can also be found in ASEM’s nature itself: it is an unofficial and non-binding body for dialogue. If ASEM is to serve as a genuine platform for international cooperation, it needs to seek in-depth talks among member countries and produce tangible outcome, rather than focusing on outside expansion. This is the main reason why the upcoming ASEM will contain serious discussion of its future, along with dialogue on a wide range of issues related to multilateral cooperation, threats to security, and cultural exchange.

To ensure a prosperous 10 years ahead, ASEM member countries need to seek concrete and plausible projects, even if the body maintains its unofficial framework. In this context, the Eurasia information network that will be launched today is very meaningful. It is an extension of the information lines linked between South Korea and France in 2000. People expect the network will likely contribute to boosting information exchanges in the two regions. ASEM, for its part, needs to voice its own opinions in a world dominated by the U.S. Considering it accounts for 40 percent of the world’s population, 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 60 percent of trade, ASEM is obliged to take a proactive role in dealing with global issues.