What the Anase does
The next phase of the Anase's response will have to take into account these global interests. It can help fill a leadership vacuum cleaner in multilateralism. There are two principles that the ASEAN practices already which can guide action and cooperation.
First, if ASEAN does what is in its interest in accordance with its principles, this will contribute to global efforts to protect the multilateral trading system based on rules.
This includes avoiding reprisals which would simply bring more economic pain, using measures in accordance with the rules and institutions that ASEAN is committed and to work as a group. Deviation of these guiding principles can disentangle the ASEAN.
The second is to protect and practice the centrality of the Anase. ASEAN is not only at the heart of its Southeast Asian member states, it is at the heart of broader Asian cooperation. ASEAN must use its centrality or risk losing it.
ASEAN will find voluntary partners in its own region. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of China, Japan and South Korea met a few days before the announcement of Mr. Trump's prices, agreeing to respond jointly to American prices and “to strengthen the implementation of the RCEP”, referring to the regional regional economic partnership, to the free trade agreement of 15 countries created and led by ASEAN.
