2. Background of the Study
ASEAN was established in 1967 to build a strong political and military
organisation capable of resisting communist ideologies promoted by
China (Department of Trade Negotiations, 2011). Initially, there were
only five member countries in ASEAN namely, Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Later, Brunei Darussalam,
Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia became members of ASEAN.
There are three main dimensions of ASEAN, namely the ASEAN Political-