CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It may be presumptuous to review Asia-Pacific regional organizations in a single column, but there seems to be so much confusion about them that certain points need to be clarified and properly addressed. The main groups are the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and ASEAN plus 3 (Japan, China, South Korea).
Through APEC, Asia reaches out to U.S. shores; and through ASEM, to Europe. Through ASEAN plus 3, Southeast Asia reaches out to Northeast Asia. Through ARF, a first attempt is made toward discussing security issues.
Has the geographic image of Southeast Asia become so blurred that it has been absorbed into a wider notion of East Asia comprising both Southeast and Northeast Asia regions? Often this seems to be the case, although in our opinion the previous delineation is still valid and useful.