INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
INGENIEUR
ASEAN Economic
Community Blueprint 2025
By Lim Tau Wee
I
t was a historic moment for Malaysia when she
took the ASEAN chair in 2015; the year the
ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025
was adopted by the ASEAN Leaders at the 27th
ASEAN Summit on November 22, 2015 in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The Blueprint provides broad
directions through strategic measures for the
AEC from 2016 to 2025. Along with the ASEAN
Community Vision 2025, and the ASEAN PoliticalSecurity Community (APSC) Blueprint 2025 and
the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)
Blueprint 2025, the AEC Blueprint 2025 forms
part of ASEAN 2025: “Forging Ahead Together”. It
succeeded the AEC Blueprint 2008 -2015 which
was adopted in 2007.
Under AEC 2015, ASEAN has made good
progress in putting in place key frameworks and
other fundamentals that are imperative for the
effective functioning of the economic community.
The 47th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting acknowledged
that 91.5% or 463 out of the 506 prioritised
measures under the AEC Blueprint have been
implemented. ASEAN has become a huge market of
US$2.6 trillion and over 622 million people. In 2014,
AEC was collectively the third largest economy in
Asia and the seventh largest in the world.
ASEAN 2025
The ASEAN Ministers, at the conclusion of their
meeting, announced that:
“By 2025, the AEC is envisioned to be
highly integrated and cohesive; competitive,
innovative and dynamic, with enhanced
economic connectivity as well as integration
and co-operation across sectors, while
fostering a more resilient, inclusive, and
people-oriented, people-centred community
that is integrated into the global economy” .
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Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will
remain as one of the key stakeholders in ASEAN
integration and in support of its role, the ministers
recognised the continuing efforts to improve
SMEs’ access to information, markets, finance
and human capital development”.
The AEC Blueprint 2025 consists of five interrelated and mutually reinforcing characteristics,
namely:
1. A Highly Integrated and Cohesive Economy;
2. A Competitive, Innovative, and Dynamic
ASEAN;
3. Enhanced Connectivity and Sectoral Cooperation;
4. A Resilient, Inclusive, People-Oriented, and
People-Centred ASEAN; and
5. A Global ASEAN.
The AEC Blueprint 2025 sets out the
strategic measures under each of the five
characteristics of AEC 2025. To operationalize
the Blueprint, these strategic measures will
be further elaborated in and implemented
through the work plans of various sectoral
bodies in ASEAN. The sectoral work plans will
be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure
their relevance and effectiveness. Partnership
arrangements with the private sector, industry
associations and the wider community at the
regional and national levels will also be actively
sought and fostered to ensure an inclusive and
participatory approach to the integration process.
Institutions will be strengthened, enhanced
approaches to monitoring and public outreach
will also be developed to support the effective
implementation of the Blueprint.
The AEC Blueprint 2025 will lead towards an
ASEAN that is more proactive, putting in place
structures and frameworks to operate as an