Below is a list of abbreviations you are most likely to find concerning the ASEAN community. Some abbreviations are formed from the first letters and read as words (ASEAN). Others are read as individual letters (UN). When you read the abbreviations in a sentence, the stress often falls on the last letter, e.g. I heard it from VOA.
| TAC | Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia |
| AEM | ASEAN Economic Ministers |
| MRA | Mutual Recognition Arrangement |
| SMEs | Small and Medium-sized Enterprises |
| IPR | Intellectual Property Rights |
| CEP | Comprehensive Economic Partnerships |
| APSC | ASEAN Political-Security Community |
| AEC | ASEAN Economic Community |
| WTO | World Trade Organization |
| UN | United Nations |
| ASEAN | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries |
| AFTA | ASEAN Free Trade Area |
| ASEAN+3 | ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea |
| ASEAN+6 | ASEAN and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India |
| ASEAN+8 | ASEAN and China, Japan , South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and The United States |