Engaging different countries through Dialogue Partnership and Sectoral Dialogue Partnership has been ASEAN's hallmark in its 50 years of existence. But ASEAN should utilize its external relations to socialize other countries to the same norms and principles toward an inclusive, open, and rules-based region. ASEAN’s external relations is therefore not about the quantity of partnerships created, but on how these partnerships contribute to ASEAN Community-building, and to regional and global stability.
