Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's remarks welcoming Türkiye's admission as an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dialogue Partner have brought renewed focus to Ankara's growing engagement with Southeast Asia, with experts arguing that the region has become a key pillar of the country's long-term foreign policy vision based on strategic autonomy and diversified partnerships.

"Türkiye's 2019 "Asia Anew" initiative has gained increasing traction within ASEAN,” Mustafa Cem Koyuncu, an Asia-Pacific specialist and co-founder of Bridge Turkey, told Daily Sabah arguing that Ankara's economic outreach, expanding diplomatic presence and historical and cultural links with the region have strengthened its standing both within the bloc and among its member states.

Türkiye has been admitted as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Tuesday, calling the decision a major milestone in Ankara's efforts to expand its diplomatic footprint in the Asia-Pacific and deepen long-term engagement with Southeast Asia.

Fidan said the decision was adopted by ASEAN foreign ministers during their meeting in Manila, elevating Türkiye to a status previously granted to only 11 countries and ranking just below full membership within the bloc's partnership framework.

Arguing that the Indo-Pacific has become one of the principal arenas of the global power competition between the United States and China, while also serving as the heart of increasingly critical supply chains and trade corridors, Koyuncu stated that at the center of this strategic geography, the ASEAN has emerged as a key mechanism in shaping the regional architecture since the end of the Cold War.

"Its strategic weight, however, is not based on geography alone but also on its institutional cohesion. Individually, none of ASEAN's 10 member states possesses the capacity to balance major powers or shape global decision-making on its own, he said, "Collectively, however, ASEAN enables its members to overcome those individual limitations and project a level of strategic influence that major powers cannot afford to ignore,” he emphasized.

Minister Fidan noted in a post on his social media account that the development was crucial to expanding Türkiye's presence in the Asia-Pacific, which he described as the eastern pillar of the country's global diplomacy, advancing Ankara's long-term strategy toward ASEAN and bringing ongoing projects to completion.

Balancing superpowers

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was established to promote regional peace and stability while fostering economic, social and cultural cooperation among Southeast Asian countries.

Moreover, Koyuncu also argued that the deepening an increasingly rivalry between the U.S. and China presents ASEAN with both opportunities and risks.

"The bloc is seeking to maximize the economic benefits of Chinese and U.S. investment projects and bilateral trade while avoiding the growing securitization and militarization of the region.”

The bloc's five founding members were Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It later expanded to include Brunei in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, Cambodia in 1999 and Timor-Leste in 2025, bringing its membership to 11 countries.

"ASEAN is therefore walking a fine line, attempting to preserve its neutrality while protecting its interests, he said, "In this context, the doctrine of ‘ASEAN centrality,’ championed particularly by Indonesia and other regional states, serves as a shield against the risk of wider geopolitical confrontation.”

ASEAN's highest-level decisions are taken at leaders' summits held twice annually. Under its 2019 "Asia Anew" initiative, Türkiye has identified ASEAN as a key strategic partner, pursuing a long-term policy aimed at expanding political, economic and institutional cooperation with the Southeast Asian bloc.

"From this perspective, ASEAN offers a third path not only to its own members but also to other regional and external powers. This alternative can be described as a strategic orientation centered on constructive, win-win cooperation and regional stability, rather than alignment with either Chinese or U.S. interests.”

On the other hand, according to Ahmet Faruk Işık, an expert on Chinese Foreign Policy and researcher fellow at the ChinaMed Project, Torino World Affairs Institute (TWAI), ASEAN is assuming greater strategic importance as U.S.-China rivalry deepens, while also facing mounting geopolitical pressures.

He said the bloc, with 11 member states, a population of more than 680 million and a combined economy worth over $3.9 trillion, occupies a pivotal position in global shipping routes, manufacturing networks and regional integration.

"Its political significance stems from its ability to bring major powers, including China and the United States, to the same table through inclusive, ASEAN-led mechanisms,” Işık remarked.

Washington on Thursday announced tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, which took effect Friday, over their alleged failure to prevent goods produced with forced labor from entering international trade.

The duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, entered into force and replaced President Donald Trump’s temporary 10% global tariff, which expired at the same time.

China on Friday rejected unilateral fresh tariffs by the U.S., stressing trade wars do not serve the world’s top two economies.

"We oppose all forms of unilateral tariffs,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

ASEAN brings together 11 Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. Its dialogue partners include the United States, Canada, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, along with the European Union and now Türkiye.

"ASEAN’s core function is not to mediate between the two powers in the traditional sense, but to provide regional countries with the strategic space to preserve their autonomy without being forced to choose sides,” Işık noted.

Türkiye - ASEAN ties

Türkiye laid the groundwork for institutional ties with ASEAN by acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2010. It was granted Sectoral Dialogue Partner status in 2017.

While trade and investment remain central to Türkiye’s engagement with Southeast Asia, Ankara also aims to deepen its ties with ASEAN and its member states across a broader range of areas, including structured political dialogue, development cooperation and academic and cultural exchanges.

"The upgrade of Türkiye’s status from a Sectoral Dialogue Partner, which it had held since 2017, to a full Dialogue Partner on July 21, 2026, represents a significant institutional leap,” Işık stressed.

Reiterating that the status does not amount to ASEAN membership or grant Türkiye voting rights in the bloc’s decision-making mechanisms, Işık argued that "It does, however, expand cooperation beyond a limited number of sectors to a broader agenda covering political and security issues, economic ties and sociocultural cooperation.”

ASEAN holds significant strategic importance in the global economy. Trade between Türkiye and the bloc rose from $6.5 billion in 2010 to $16.12 billion in 2025, with Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore emerging as Ankara’s leading trade partners in the region.

"The success of the relationship will ultimately be determined not by the status itself, but by joint projects backed by clear timelines, adequate funding and measurable outcomes,” Işık noted.

He added that Ankara should avoid viewing ASEAN as a single, uniform market and instead pursue country-specific bilateral strategies tailored to each of its 11 member states while simultaneously advancing ASEAN-wide initiatives.

Türkiye-ASEAN cooperation has also continued to expand through concrete projects in areas including agriculture, women’s economic empowerment, disaster management, humanitarian mine action, maritime affairs, sustainable development, newborn health, science and technology.

Türkiye’s exports to ASEAN member states increased 17.1% from $2.4 billion in 2021 to $2.8 billion in 2025. Exports to the bloc totaled $1.2 billion in the first five months of this year.

Koyuncu further underlined that the recent momentum in diplomatic and economic ties was likely to accelerate following Türkiye’s elevation to Dialogue Partner status.

He said defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and ASEAN countries was expected to expand further as several Southeast Asian states sought to diversify their military procurement away from an overreliance on Chinese and U.S. suppliers.

Imports from ASEAN countries rose 50.7% during the same period, increasing from $8.8 billion to $13.3 billion. Imports reached approximately $6 billion in the January-May period of this year.

As a result, Türkiye’s total trade volume with the region reached $16.1 billion in 2025.

Koyuncu also offered that Türkiye’s active and balanced foreign policy, which has largely shielded it from the wave of international economic sanctions in recent years, could further enhance the appeal of Turkish-made products across Southeast Asia.