A relatively low level of political-security integration is further evident due to the continued pursuit of short-term interests and relative gains that often conflict with the collective interests of ASEAN. The pursuit by Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia of bilateral free trade arrangements is a case in point. A lack of collective identification and integration was also visible in the case of the South China Sea dispute, where a common position has not been maintained. In terms of elite level socio-cultural integration, the level of collective identification is partly constrained by the nature of the region's exogenous relations. As argued in Chapter 7, the extent to which security is generated by extra-mural alliances and relations renders the strategic importance of the ASEAN members relatively less important.