The region ASEAN is the equivalent in principle of the European Union. It is a a vast economic zone comprising ten countries in South-East Asia. Originally, it consisted of a core group comprising Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. At the time, the association was primarily set up to counter the Communist threat in the region.
It has since integrated the countries of Indochina (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) and the Myanmar. Unlike the EU, however, ASEAN is intended to be a loose association focusing on economic objectives. Visit principle of non-interference s involvement in the affairs of a member state turns the association into a political shell.
Few cases of covid in ASEAN and yet...
ASEAN has thus demonstrated its total inability to put in place a common strategy to reopen its internal borders to travellers. As it has already demonstrated with the creation of an ASEAN common visa under discussion for 12 years.
This attitude is all the more surprising given that the region has managed the pandemic relatively well. Even if the veracity of certain figures communicated by several countries is sometimes questionable.
At 15 November 2020, the number of cases declared positive for covid reached 1.054 million, including 25,052 deaths. While contamination levels are still rising in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, other countries have reached a plateau with little or no contamination.
Against this backdrop, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called for ASEAN to rapidly set up a regional "travel corridor. This is the second time that the statesman of ASEAN's most populous country has called for the region to be reopened.
It is true thatASEAN as an integrated bloc is virtually brain dead. The borders are closed in almost all countries. Only Singapore has timidly reopened "Green corridors" with Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Singapore also accepts travellers from Vietnam with an electronic travel certificate.
At the 37th (virtual) ASEAN summit in Hanoi, which ended at the weekend, the ten members agreed on a "new ASEAN". legal framework for travel corridors within ASEAN. The future "Travel Corridor Arrangement" (TCA) would primarily address essential" business travellers. Joko Widodo has asked the Economic Coordination Council to speed up the process, with a view to 1st quarter 2021.
...long overdue "travel corridors
According to Joko Widodo future corridors would consist of "fast lanes ("priority entry routes") with strict health protocols. Compulsory tests would be carried out before departure and on arrival. Only covid-negative travellers could then escape the most stringent quarantine.
The measures advocated by the Indonesian President include the following common electronic health application the region and the designation of international crossing points. This would primarily concern airports, in addition to a number of maritime and land points.
According to a press release from the Presidency, "such an arrangement would give people renewed optimism and revitalise economic activity. While maintaining discipline in the implementation of health protocols".
"Our people cannot wait any longer: they want to see our region recover now", concluded the Indonesian President.
The travel sector is particularly crucial to the region's economies. The ASEAN General Secretariat has announced that tourism has fallen by 71% this year. It is the worst affected sector behind trade (-12%) and foreign direct investment (-33%).
According to estimates by various global economic organisations, theAsia should see its GDP contract by 2.2% in 2020. ASEAN would record a decline of 3.5% of its GDP (Asia Development Bank estimates 09/2020).
According to the ADB, the countries most affected are Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. Only Vietnam, Myanmar and Brunei are expected to record slight GDP growth. However, the institutes are forecasting an economic recovery with an average increase in GDP from 8% in 2021.
