ABSTRACT
Minilateralism, which is informal and flexible in its nature and characteristics, is appealing to Southeast Asian countries which prefer functional cooperation and a loose regionalism. If they are managed effectively, minilaterals are a good complement to the community-building process of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, ASEAN needs to be more proactive in engaging minilateral mechanisms, and to build synergies between ASEAN and those minilaterals. The risks of minilateralism in Southeast Asia relate to the strategic intentions of some major powers that initiate and lead some minilateral mechanisms for their own geopolitical and geo-economic interests. Geopolitical competition in the Mekong sub-region and the minilaterals initiated by major powers pose certain risks to ASEAN unity and centrality, especially if ASEAN lacks effective strategies and mechanisms to connect those minilaterals with ASEAN community blueprints and to integrate the principles of ASEAN unity and centrality into the institutionalisation of those minilaterals.
