ASEAN COMMUNITY: AN INTEGRATION FAVORABLE FOR AMERICA'S PACIFIC CENTURY

A well-established, stable, prosperous and rich region, Southeast Asia has so far received less attention than other regions. The region is a battlefield for the rivalry between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Both have started to deepen their relations with each of the states in the region and signed various agreements with the regional association to win the race. China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) has shown tremendous impacts on the development of China's economic condition these five years. The US-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed in 2006, Treaty of Amity and Cooperation that Obama signed in 2009, US annual presence in the East Asia Summit and US position as one of ASEAN Dialogue Partners with resident ambassador to ASEAN have shown the US continuing commitment to enhanced engagement with ASEAN. Moreover, America's Pacific century has decided that pivot of the future will be in Asia. Trade liberalization in the region provides the US abundant opportunities for trade, investment and technology to help America's economic recovery at home. Opportunely, ASEAN members have agreed to build a fully integrated community that involve political, security, economy and social realms by the end of 2015. By applying the concept of geopolitics, ASEAN Community is seen strongly favorable for American interests, especially to strengthen American influence in the region and to help to pertain American leadership. Hence, the paper will focus on the importance of ASEAN Community for the US and how the US supports the development of ASEAN Community. For ASEAN has so far been a US strategic bilateral partner in Southeast Asia, the deeper ASEAN member countries are integrated, the more benefits the US may obtain for the pursuit of maintaining its primacy.