Wilmington Political Buzz
The Examiner
September 1, 2011
What is ASEAN? It sounds simplistic, but it is not a different way to spell the continent of Asia. It is an acronym for 10 countries striving for accelerated economic growth and progress. The total population of these countries is 600 million people; by combining their resources ASEAN forms the 9thlargest economy in the world. ASEAN was preceded by the Association of South East Asia nations.
--the State of Brunei is divided into two parts. Seventy seven per cent of the population lives in the eastern part of the country. Crude oil and natural gas provide 50% of the country’s GDP.
-- The Kingdom of Cambodia is governed by a constitutional monarchy. Last year the country was rated in the top ten nations by GDP growth. However, 70% of the Cambodian workforce still survives by subsistence farming.
--Indonesia is an independent republic. The country’s exports included oil, natural gas, crude palm oil, coal, appliances, textiles, and rubber.
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--Laos is governed as a communist state. The country’s terrain includes mountains, plateaus, and alluvial plains. Laos exports gold, copper, electricity, wood and wood products, garments, and coffee.
--The natural resources of Malaysia include tin, petroleum, copper, iron ore, natural gas, and bauxite. The country is governed by a federal constitutional monarchy. Malaysia is bordered by Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei.
--The country of Myanmar was formerly known as Burma. Fifty five million people living in Myanmar subsist in poverty which is believed to be the result of the Soviet styled authoritarian government.
--The Republic of the Philippines is made up of two major ethnic groups, the Chinese and the Malay. Their natural resources include copper, nickel, cobalt, silver, and gold.
--The Republic of Singapore is a Southeast Asia city-state located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The Country is one of the FOUR ASIAN TIGERS. Their economy depends on electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering, and their biomedical sciences sector.
--The Kingdom of Thailand is governed as a constitutional monarchy. Their unemployment rate is 1.0%. The country’s natural resources include rubber, natural gas, tungsten, timber, and fish.
--The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam shares borders with the People’s Republic of China, Laos, and Cambodia. President Nguyen Minh was nominated by the Communist Party before he was confirmed by Parliament in the office of president. Viet Nam exports petroleum, rice, coffee, clothing, and fish.
What you should have noticed here is that these countries have nothing in common other than their geographical locations. What they hope to accomplish is effective cooperation, settlement of disputes in a peaceful manner, the right of every state to lead its national existence, and mutual respect for each country’s national identity.
It sounds simple but when you consider that China and Viet Nam are expanding to what they call new fields which include the exchange of military delegations - including military secrets - along with establishing a hotline between defense ministers, it is safe to say that relationships amongst Asian countries require multiple explanations with regard to foreign policy, business, and culture.
What is ASEAN? It sounds simplistic, but it is not a different way to spell the continent of Asia. It is an acronym for 10 countries striving for accelerated economic growth and progress. The total population of these countries is 600 million people; by combining their resources ASEAN forms the 9thlargest economy in the world. ASEAN was preceded by the Association of South East Asia nations.
--the State of Brunei is divided into two parts. Seventy seven per cent of the population lives in the eastern part of the country. Crude oil and natural gas provide 50% of the country’s GDP.
-- The Kingdom of Cambodia is governed by a constitutional monarchy. Last year the country was rated in the top ten nations by GDP growth. However, 70% of the Cambodian workforce still survives by subsistence farming.
--Indonesia is an independent republic. The country’s exports included oil, natural gas, crude palm oil, coal, appliances, textiles, and rubber.
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--Laos is governed as a communist state. The country’s terrain includes mountains, plateaus, and alluvial plains. Laos exports gold, copper, electricity, wood and wood products, garments, and coffee.
--The natural resources of Malaysia include tin, petroleum, copper, iron ore, natural gas, and bauxite. The country is governed by a federal constitutional monarchy. Malaysia is bordered by Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei.
--The country of Myanmar was formerly known as Burma. Fifty five million people living in Myanmar subsist in poverty which is believed to be the result of the Soviet styled authoritarian government.
--The Republic of the Philippines is made up of two major ethnic groups, the Chinese and the Malay. Their natural resources include copper, nickel, cobalt, silver, and gold.
--The Republic of Singapore is a Southeast Asia city-state located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The Country is one of the FOUR ASIAN TIGERS. Their economy depends on electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering, and their biomedical sciences sector.
--The Kingdom of Thailand is governed as a constitutional monarchy. Their unemployment rate is 1.0%. The country’s natural resources include rubber, natural gas, tungsten, timber, and fish.
--The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam shares borders with the People’s Republic of China, Laos, and Cambodia. President Nguyen Minh was nominated by the Communist Party before he was confirmed by Parliament in the office of president. Viet Nam exports petroleum, rice, coffee, clothing, and fish.
What you should have noticed here is that these countries have nothing in common other than their geographical locations. What they hope to accomplish is effective cooperation, settlement of disputes in a peaceful manner, the right of every state to lead its national existence, and mutual respect for each country’s national identity.
It sounds simple but when you consider that China and Viet Nam are expanding to what they call new fields which include the exchange of military delegations - including military secrets - along with establishing a hotline between defense ministers, it is safe to say that relationships amongst Asian countries require multiple explanations with regard to foreign policy, business, and culture.
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