In the declaration, the parties publicly stated their intent to keep South East Asia "free from any form or manner of interference by outside Powers" and "broaden the areas of cooperation".
[3] The US had also established strong military and economic ties with Thailand, through the 1962 Rusk-Thanat Agreement[4] and the1966 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation[5] respectively.
[6] The idea of neutralization was first explicitly raised by Malaysia's Tun Dr Ismail Raman in 1968 in his Peace Plan.
In the 1980 Kuantan Doctrine, Indonesia and Malaysia called upon Vietnam into a position of neutrality regarding China and the USSR, requiring it to be freed from external influence.
This plan was rejected by Thailand, who wished for a solution that would address Vietnam's vast military strength and aggressive foreign policy.