Экономическое сотрудничество между АСЕАН и Евразийским экономическим союзом (Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and Eurasian Economic Union)
Аннотация
The analysis of the result of the economic cooperation between EAEU and ASEAN has been in progress since they signed the MOU on economic cooperation to promote economic cooperation between each other. To further strengthen their ties, moreover, Vietnam (2015) and Singapore (2019) were signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU, it is obvious that the volume of trade between Russia and Vietnam, as well as Russia and Singapore has grown since the FTAs were signed. The integration between two regions could lead to further connection that could have a tight relationship both in form of multilateral and bilateral. As the foreign policy of both groups has a direction to open up more cooperation especially Russia Federation who is an important role to start connecting with ASEAN where it could share its experience to the EAEU countries to trade with ASEAN countries in the bilateral level. Although, apart from Russia, economic cooperation between EAEU countries and ASEAN are still in low level but current situation is still in the beginning for a further potential to bring the advantage to both regions and to compete with other regions in the global economic development. Moreover, the FTA with Vietnam and Singapore could be consider as a window for launching of Eurasian products on the growing markets of Southeast Asia.
The Russian Federation is building a good relations with ASEAN Member State on a fundamentally different, ideology-free basis. The interaction with Russia concerning political development is one of the important directions of a cooperation of the ASEAN. The ASEAN now determined three important points: fight against terrorism, drugs and transnational organized crime. Moreover, Russia plays a role in a political framework because the Concept of foreign policy of Russia attaches great value to a relationship with Asia-Pacific structures of multilateral diplomacy in international the state, such the image, The ASEAN – one of priorities of Russia policy in the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. While Russia’s relations with ASEAN countries have been gradually improving, the fact remains that Russia is still not that significant a player in ASEAN. Economically, Russia remains one of ASEAN’s smallest trading partners among all dialogue partners, both in terms of export and import of goods. In terms of the composition of exports, ASEAN mainly exports electrical machinery and mechanical equipment to Russia. On the other hand, Russia mainly exports mineral fuels and minerals to ASEAN.
Another of the prospect is the possibility of creating a Free Investment Zone in ASEAN and the EAEU should be considered which would contribute to both the solution of the existing problems and the formation of new areas of economic cooperation; reduce of the continued sharp differentiation in the levels of socio-economic development of the ASEAN and EAEU member countries as the basis for increasing the economic attractiveness of the respective regions.
The EAEU and ASEAN still need to work hard on the practical framework where the question raised up that what directions, measures and mechanisms may and should be used to bring cooperation between the EAEU and ASEAN to a level that ensures the expectation of its independent reproduction and multiplying effect in the future? For that reason, the EAEU needs to act in an“advanced mode”offering ASEAN attractive projects, ensuring their intellectual elaboration and fully assuming their financing as needed. The EAEU is still lack of the cooperation institution with ASEAN. However, this could be solved as using experience and best practices of interaction between Russia-ASEAN in order to establish an effective communication channel between EAEU and ASEAN. Furthermore, the business connection among big companies, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs between two regions are still in the low level which is in need a support from the government. As mentioned above about the cooperation institution to contribute any support for private sectors to open up more ways and options to extend the development assistance and to increase the economic growth. To conclude, apart from the cooperation between Russia-ASEAN, the EAEU seems to not be able to provide “added value” for ASEAN in comparison with its existing options. However, the relations of the ASEAN countries with Russia are not developing at the fast pace that they would like, and this may be due to the rapidly growing “popularity” in the region of the US, which equates serious competition for the Russian Federation, along with such players as China and Japan. These countries have already achieved a solid position in the region due to their investment and financial attractiveness, high living standards. Russia or even EAEU countries are facing with high competition from the main alliances of ASEAN such as Japan, China, and Republic of Korea. It is clear that Russian investments are very small, compared to other ASEAN partners. So that for other member countries of EAEU will even smaller. To sum up, the EAEU has to develop such directions of dialogue in which the value of the Union for ASEAN is objectively weaker than what its other partners have.
The Russian Federation is building a good relations with ASEAN Member State on a fundamentally different, ideology-free basis. The interaction with Russia concerning political development is one of the important directions of a cooperation of the ASEAN. The ASEAN now determined three important points: fight against terrorism, drugs and transnational organized crime. Moreover, Russia plays a role in a political framework because the Concept of foreign policy of Russia attaches great value to a relationship with Asia-Pacific structures of multilateral diplomacy in international the state, such the image, The ASEAN – one of priorities of Russia policy in the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. While Russia’s relations with ASEAN countries have been gradually improving, the fact remains that Russia is still not that significant a player in ASEAN. Economically, Russia remains one of ASEAN’s smallest trading partners among all dialogue partners, both in terms of export and import of goods. In terms of the composition of exports, ASEAN mainly exports electrical machinery and mechanical equipment to Russia. On the other hand, Russia mainly exports mineral fuels and minerals to ASEAN.
Another of the prospect is the possibility of creating a Free Investment Zone in ASEAN and the EAEU should be considered which would contribute to both the solution of the existing problems and the formation of new areas of economic cooperation; reduce of the continued sharp differentiation in the levels of socio-economic development of the ASEAN and EAEU member countries as the basis for increasing the economic attractiveness of the respective regions.
The EAEU and ASEAN still need to work hard on the practical framework where the question raised up that what directions, measures and mechanisms may and should be used to bring cooperation between the EAEU and ASEAN to a level that ensures the expectation of its independent reproduction and multiplying effect in the future? For that reason, the EAEU needs to act in an“advanced mode”offering ASEAN attractive projects, ensuring their intellectual elaboration and fully assuming their financing as needed. The EAEU is still lack of the cooperation institution with ASEAN. However, this could be solved as using experience and best practices of interaction between Russia-ASEAN in order to establish an effective communication channel between EAEU and ASEAN. Furthermore, the business connection among big companies, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs between two regions are still in the low level which is in need a support from the government. As mentioned above about the cooperation institution to contribute any support for private sectors to open up more ways and options to extend the development assistance and to increase the economic growth. To conclude, apart from the cooperation between Russia-ASEAN, the EAEU seems to not be able to provide “added value” for ASEAN in comparison with its existing options. However, the relations of the ASEAN countries with Russia are not developing at the fast pace that they would like, and this may be due to the rapidly growing “popularity” in the region of the US, which equates serious competition for the Russian Federation, along with such players as China and Japan. These countries have already achieved a solid position in the region due to their investment and financial attractiveness, high living standards. Russia or even EAEU countries are facing with high competition from the main alliances of ASEAN such as Japan, China, and Republic of Korea. It is clear that Russian investments are very small, compared to other ASEAN partners. So that for other member countries of EAEU will even smaller. To sum up, the EAEU has to develop such directions of dialogue in which the value of the Union for ASEAN is objectively weaker than what its other partners have.