2020年对东盟而言是充满挑战的一年。在东盟政治安全共同体的建设过程中，各成员国不断加强在抗击新冠肺炎疫情、民主、善治、防务、反恐、海洋安全、网络安全等政治安全治理领域的互动与合作。在新冠肺炎疫情导致世界经济与社会受到严重影响、全球化进程及全球治理陷入阻滞、东亚及亚太局势严峻复杂、地区冲突风险加剧的背景下，东盟克服重重外部阻力，坚持“东盟中心地位”，坚持大力倡导多边对话合作，持续推动多边主义，彰显了团结、自强的力量以及灵活应对各种挑战的能力，成为疫情中少有的能有效运作且成效卓著的区域组织。
The year 2020 was a challenging year for ASEAN. As the ASEAN Political-Security Community was built，its member states interacted and cooperated with one another at a faster pace in areas of political security governance，such as COVID-19 pandemic and natural disaster response，democracy，good governance，counter-terrorism，and maritime security. Faced with severe economic and social impacts caused by COVID-19 pandemic，the stalled globalization and global governance，the grave and complex situation in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region，and the increased risk of regional conflicts，the ASEAN overcame many external obstacles，stayed committed to the “ASEAN centrality”，advocated multilateral dialogue and cooperation，and continued to promote multilateralism and free trade. All this made ASEAN one of the few regional organizations in the world that has been able to function effectively with great achievements during the pandemic by supporting each other and taking the initiative to adapt and meet the challenges.
