A lot of ASEAN initiatives would not have been accepted by members in the region, because they had reservations about each other. But when ASEAN takes it up, it becomes an ASEAN initiative and every member in the region is willing to come to the ASEAN process, because ASEAN is not a threat to anybody.

In the process of working with each other, there is a sense of transparency. This creates new dynamics within the region so that a synergy can be achieved. In the ASEAN language, it's "ASEAN in the driver's seat." For every partner, "ASEAN in the driver's seat" is comfortable. Accommodating all and threatening none - this is the secret of ASEAN.

Some Chinese analysts say that the rapid development of China-ASEAN relations in recent years has prompted other major powers such as the United States and Japan to compete to develop relations with ASEAN. Do you agree?

China is very much next to ASEAN, bordering Viet Nam, Laos and Myanmar. It is a major country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council with phenomenal growth in the past two decades. Everything China does commands attention from outside. China provides the initial dynamics that the other ASEAN dialogue partners will have to take note. So the answer is yes. China has moved into the region in coordination and cooperation with ASEAN in a high-profile way. We certainly have drawn attention from our dialogue partners from far away and it is good for ASEAN.

During this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Sydney in early September, U.S. President George W. Bush said the United States was in the process of naming an ambassador to ASEAN. This at least compensates for the Americans' lack of attention to ASEAN. I hope other dialogue partners will react to that by naming their own ambassadors or permanent representatives to the ASEAN Secretariat.

When one player moves, the other players respond. Another player makes a move, and then another player responds. It's only going to contribute to the high-profile link of ASEAN in the international community. Because of all these attention coming from outside, we'd better consolidate to make ASEAN more responsive to the challenges of the changing environment in the region and in the international community.

ASEAN is keen on developing ties with both China and the United States. Is it necessary for ASEAN to strike a balance between the two?

Eventually, you will have to strike a balance. Eventually, the balance will emerge. You don't even have to be conscious about it. The balance will be automatically achieved through the dynamics of exchange, cooperation and coordination. No relationship can be based on dominance, exploitation or taking advantage of parties involved. The parties have to find a point of balance where every partner in the process feels comfortable and confident and everyone is benefiting. And ASEAN has been doing that. I look at ASEAN as a fulcrum of power plays in the region. When I say power plays, I say economic power plays, political and security power plays, cultural power plays as well as soft power exchange. ASEAN has been providing the region with that fulcrum, balancing the power plays among the players in the region.

Critics of ASEAN call it a "toothless tiger" or a "talk shop" because it lacks mechanisms for enforcing its rulings and because it has made no substantive progress in creating a common free market in services for its members despite persistent talk about doing so. What will you do to change these perceptions?

The charter is going to help. We have made incremental progress because we are so diverse and so different. The richest among us has a per-capita income of about $50,000 a year, whereas the lowest rate is only $220 a year. So when you talk about a common market or a free trade area, it is extremely difficult.

However, we at least have identified our problems and have mechanisms to address the challenges. When we look into the future, we can say at one point ASEAN is going to be one solid, single market. It is going to be attractive for outsiders to come to invest in and trade with ASEAN countries. Although it is not a unified market now, at least there is an ambition.

Critics also say that ASEAN's principle of consensus in decision-making prevents it from making any real progress, especially in creating a common free market. Will you make any proposals to change or to drop this decision-by-consensus process? If so, what kind of decision-making process would you propose to replace it?

It is really not for me as a nominee for the secretary general position to really make any initiatives on this kind of issue. It is the responsibility of the leaders. I am only an instrument of the leadership of ASEAN.

On the issue of decision-making, the Eminent Persons Group has already addressed the issue that there shall be a better mechanism for decision making for ASEAN. They are thinking about a majority voting system. They are thinking about mechanisms to address non-compliance. We are in the process of making all mechanisms of ASEAN more effective, more relevant to the challenges and pressures we are living with. We have to do this on a step-by-step basis. We have to do this with the awareness that some members may need more time and support in order to fully comply with the commitment in certain agreements. That's why we have "a different time frame" for old members and new members. This is the ASEAN way of addressing the differentiation among us.

.