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ASEAN stands for Association of SouthEast Asian Nations. Founded in 1967, by original members Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then, Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Papua New Guinea is an observer member, and East Timor is currently in the process of applying for membership.

Originally founded as an economic-growth and anti-communist organization, ASEAN now focuses on economic development and cooperation, as well as promoting peace and stability. Recently, with the rise of China and the PRC's claims on South China Sea islands, ASEAN is increasingly taking on a military character, as its relatively small members seek a forum to combat Chinese claims on the disputed territories. The recently-formed ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration (AIDC) promotes inter-operability between member nations and the other major Pacific power, the United States, allowing the region's militaries to work together better, sort of a "NATO-lite".

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12y ago

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