Public Optimism and Policy Gaps in Asean’s Creative Economy

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) was established on Aug. 8, 1967, and comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A recent addition is Timor-Leste, whose representatives broke into tears when they were formally accepted into the regional grouping two days ago. On Dec. 31, 2015, the Asean Community was formally established. The Asean secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The UK mission to Asean, part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, is the United Kingdom’s dedicated diplomatic presence in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Based in Jakarta, the mission works to strengthen UK-Asean ties across political-security, economic and socio-cultural areas, in close coordination with British embassies across Asean.