Backgrounder: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

A view of the Patuxai, Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph in Vientiane, Laos on Sept 3, 2016. [Photo/IC]

VIENTIANE - Heads of state and government of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gather in Vientiane from Tuesday to Thursday for their 28th and 29th summits with the theme "Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community".

ASEAN, a regional bloc comprising 10 southeast Asian nations, aims to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic integration among its members.

It was originally established in August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The group has now expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

ASEAN has a combined population of approximately 625 million people, accounting for 8.8 percent of the world's total. In 2015, the bloc's combined nominal GDP had grown to more than $2.8 trillion.

At its 27th summit in Kuala Lumpur in November 2015, ASEAN announced that the ASEAN Community would be established on Dec. 31, 2015. It was a historic development and an important milestone in the envolvement of the regional bloc since its foundation.

The ASEAN Community has three pillars: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.

ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, which was endorsed at the 27th summit, charts the path for the ASEAN Community building over the next 10 years.

It is a forward looking roadmap that articulates ASEAN goals and aspirations to realize further consolidation, integration and stronger cohesiveness as a community.

ASEAN is working toward a community that is "politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible".