The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), established in 1994, coordinates security and foreign policy.

The respect for national sovereignty is critical to the functioning of ASEAN, as there is little desire for supranational structures.

The collapse of the Soviet bloc led to Europe being put on a fast track, resulting in the establishment of the European Union with the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht.

ASEAN was established in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand by signing the Bangkok Declaration.

Under the Schengen agreement, a visa from just one EU country allows entry into most other European Union countries.

The three pillars established in 2003 are the ASEAN Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The ASEAN Monetary Community is not listed as one of the three pillars.

India’s policy since the early 1990s is known as the ‘Look East’ Policy (later ‘Act East’ Policy since 2014).

America extended massive financial help under the ‘Marshall Plan’ to revive Europe’s economy after the Second World War.

Denmark and Sweden have resisted the Maastricht Treaty and the adoption of the euro, while Britain kept out of the European Market historically, showing Euro-skepticism.

After the Cold War, the European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) emerged as forces to reckon with, limiting America’s dominance.

The process of economic integration led to the formation of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957 when six countries signed the Treaties of Rome.

The objectives of the ASEAN Economic Community are to create a common market and production base within ASEAN states and to aid social and economic development.

The OEEC was established in 1948 under the Marshall Plan to channel aid to the west European states.

One member of the EU, France, holds a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

After the communist revolution in 1949, China’s economy was based on the Soviet model.

The EU’s combined armed forces are the second largest in the world.

The model chosen by China was to create a state-owned heavy industries sector from the capital accumulated from agriculture.

The euro, the EU’s currency, can pose a threat to the dominance of the US dollar.

The number twelve on the EU flag is traditionally the symbol of perfection, completeness, and unity.

There is a deep-seated ‘Euro-skepticism’ in some parts of Europe about the EU’s integrationist agenda.

ASEAN countries celebrate the ‘ASEAN Way,’ which is a form of interaction that is informal, non-confrontationist, and cooperative.

The referendum in Britain that decided that Britain exit (Brexit) from the EU took place in 2016.

The ASEAN-India FTA came into effect in 2010.

The primary objective of ASEAN was to accelerate economic growth and, through that, social progress and cultural development.

The ten stalks of paddy represent the ten Southeast Asian countries bound together in friendship and solidarity.