The University of Melbourne*

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (“ASEAN”) was established in 1967 by a core group of five member states comprising Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.1 The intent of the group was to collectively promote political stability, improved standards of living, and superior economic growth across Southeast Asia through the implementation of greater intergovernmental cooperation. Over the course of the late 20th century, the original group was expanded to include Brunei Darussalam (“Brunei”), Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (“Laos”), Myanmar and Vietnam. In 2003, the expanded association established a series of core community pillars, with the intent of aligning its practices more closely with that of the “deeply integrated” European Union (“EU”).2 Concurrently, the importance of improving connectivity was realised when the manufacturing industry shifted its operational focus away from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (“China”) towards the comparatively lucrative ASEAN markets, thus accelerating the region’s economic growth rate. This shift was catalysed by the steadily improving condition of ASEAN infrastructure, and an increase in its consumption of associated goods and services.3 Under the governance of the original Master Plan of ASEAN Connectivity 2010,4 the commitment of the member states to build upon this economic momentum culminated in the development of a regional vision to achieve a “seamlessly and comprehensively integrated setup that [promoted] competitiveness, inclusiveness, and a greater