| 英文摘要 |
The joining of ASEAN in 1997 has played a significant role in Myanmar's domestic reforms and reshaping of external relations, on different phases of openness and reform, exercising a changing force to the military rule transformed into civil regime by 2010 election. For ASEAN, the entry of Myanmar matters for completing ''ASEAN-10'', checking China's influence and fostering regional economic and trade integration. In 1997, even under heavy pressure of United States, EU and other international players, ASEAN insisted that Myanmar be an ASEAN member. Myanmar's membership in ASEAN has taken on new significance as the country assumes the 2014 chairmanship. The success of the first-time chairmanship proves to ASEAN and the rest of world, that Myanmar, with her strategic significance in economy and geography, is designed for a central role against the multilateral setting of Asian Pacific characterized by conflict-prone South China Sea territory dispute, Obama administration's ''Returning to Asia'' strategy, the dominance of China and ASEAN's vision of ''ASEAN Community''. This article will make a comprehensive two-sided factor analysis of Myanmar's entry into ASEAN, and explore how the membership has energized the military rule toward democratization and outward-looking external policy, and what role a newly-transformed Myanmar will play in ASEAN's integration. |