Southeast Asia is located south of China, east of India, and northwest of Australia. It is divided into two subregions: Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia. The mainland includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, while the maritime region comprises Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and New Guinea.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organization that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Established in 1967, ASEAN launched the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 to enhance regional integration and competitiveness through security, socio-cultural, and economic integration. This initiative has boosted regional economic growth by creating a free trade area, improving transportation networks, and promoting the free movement of goods, services, capital, investment, and labor, aiming to develop a drug-free region.