ASEAN is vitally important to the United States. Anchored by Indonesia (a G20 member and next chair of ASEAN), it is home to 10 countries, including two US allies (Philippines and Thailand), 620 million people, US $1.5 trillion GDP, important strategic and commercial sea lanes and navigational routes, and is the fourth-largest market for US exports.
The United States has nearly three times the investment in ASEAN as it does in China and nearly 10 times as much as in India. There is no way the United States can double exports without a strong focus on trade policy and trade-enabling initiatives – by the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Trade Development Agency, the Commerce Department, the Foreign Commercial Service, and others – in this region.
ASEAN will be the fulcrum of new trade and security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region for this century. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been clear about the importance of ‘ASEAN centrality’ in these new structures that will be the foundation of US national security and economic prosperity for the coming decades.
The invitation may also help balance Beijing’s charm offensive toward ASEAN. ASEAN does not want to be dominated by any country or large power, including the United States, China, or India. It wants balance, and that should be an interest shared by an enduring US strategy for engagement in Asia. Balance is the key to avoiding conflicts and helping the regional giants like China and India act on the regional stage in a peaceful and productive manner. A meeting in Washington backs up the US commitment to supporting such balance and transparency in areas that might otherwise become flashpoints for security concerns, such as the South China Sea.
There would not even be much debate about this if the administration truly had a strategy for Southeast Asia. When inviting 10 foreign leaders from a strategically vital region to meet the president of the United States, symbolism and form are vitally important. Holding the meeting in Washington sends the right message at the right time. Following renewed US commitment to engage and focus on the region, demonstrated most recently by Secretary Clinton’s strong performance at the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting in Hanoi, President Obama has a unique opportunity to follow through on his rhetorical commitment to be ‘the first Pacific president.’
Inviting his ASEAN colleagues to Washington would be seen as following through on that vision. A meeting in New York does not convey the importance of this summit. New York might get the meeting done, but Washington would demonstrate thoughtfulness and commitment.
Effective foreign policy rests on good decisions at the right time. This is one such choice, and it should be made within a week to allow adequate time for planning and execution of a truly strategic summit.
Ernest Z. Bower is a senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared here in the CSIS Southeast Asian Program Series.