One of ASEAN's strengths is not just its willingness but its assiduous endeavours to link up with countries and organizations that can contribute to its development and security and to those of its member-states. ASEAN has taken this position despite its clear intention, at the time of its founding, to loosen its involvement in the quarrels of the big powers and to avoid being an arena for the conflicts of others. At the same time, despite its move to deal with others as a group, ASEAN has been pragmatic and flexible enough to take into consideration the individual members' particular interests in bilateral security and economic relations with other countries. On the other hand, ASEAN's strategic location, resource endowments, economicgrowth trajectory, emerging political solidarity, and openness to the outside world have attracted the interest of the world's major powers.

THE DIALOGUE SYSTEM

From the start, ASEAN's external relations have been driven by both political and economic motives. The first relationship that ASEAN entered into, appropriately enough, was with the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1973, when ASEAN and the EEC began to conduct an “informal dialogue”. (Some date the formalization of the ASEAN-EEC relationship in 1977.) As ASEAN ministers noted then, it was right that the association should engage in a dialogue with another regional group, the most advanced among the world's regional associations. To them, a relationship with Brussels also meant an important mark of international recognition. In practical terms, ASEAN used the dialogue with the EEC as a vehicle for seeking access for the member-countries' products to the lucrative European market, promoting European investments in ASEAN, and attracting development assistance to the member-states. However, the political benefits of the relationship have also been high in ASEAN's mind.

For its part, the European Union (EU) sees ASEAN as a commercial and strategic link to the fast-rising East Asian region. To reinforce its relationship with the association, the EU supports some ASEAN projects, particularly those having to do with the environment, energy and regional economic integration.