"ASEAN ... has been an anchor of stability, peace and harmony for this region [and] is ready, able and wiling to work with the U.S. in the search for solutions to global impasses, including bridging the cultural divide."
- Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Sec. General, Feb. 2009
Home
Explore the Relationship
ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was founded in 1967 “to strengthen further the existing bonds of regional solidarity and cooperation.”
The ten member states of ASEAN span more than 1.7 million square miles—over half the size of the continental United States—and include nearly 600 million people.
ASEAN’s economy, valued at about US $1.5 trillion in 2008, is the third-largest Asian trading partner of the United States—after China and Japan—and the largest destination of U.S. investment in Asia.
ASEAN Matters for America / America Matters for ASEAN is a comprehensive and multi-activity effort to demonstrate and track the importance of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to the United States, and the United States’ importance to ASEAN. It is a collaborative project of the East-West Center in Washington and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. and part of the Asia Matters for America initiative, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. More info on the project…