1、 Problem posing

Since its establishment in 1967, ASEAN has made significant achievements in politics, economy, and socio-cultural aspects, becoming an important regional organization in the Asia Pacific region. The establishment of ASEAN's central position enables it to play a leading and driving role in regional affairs. However, with the advancement of the US' Indo Pacific strategy and the intensification of geopolitical competition, the central position of ASEAN is facing challenges. Current research mainly focuses on the impact of external factors on the central position of ASEAN, while neglecting how ASEAN itself maintains its position through social creation strategies in social identity theory. Disaster management, as an important component of the ASEAN socio-cultural community, is a crucial area for ASEAN to maintain its central position. Through cooperation and institutional building in the field of disaster management, ASEAN has demonstrated its global leadership in this area, successfully extending its central position to the field of disaster management in the face of challenges in regional politics and security.

2、 The Application of Status and Social Identity Theory in International Relations

Explored the concept of ASEAN centrality and its position in international relations, and analyzed it from the perspective of social identity theory. The central position of ASEAN means that ASEAN plays the role of designer and leader in handling regional issues. The social identity theory explains the role of social identity cognition in group behavior, emphasizing the individual's need for self-esteem and the group's tendency to pursue a positive social identity. ASEAN can achieve its status demands through strategies such as imitation, competition, or creating new concepts. The group agency, institutionalized collective action, and decision-making structure of ASEAN indicate that it can be seen as an independent actor with status demands. The central position of ASEAN not only depends on its role in regional architecture design and leadership, but also requires recognition from other actors.

3、 The Historical Process of Disaster Management in ASEAN

The historical process of ASEAN in disaster management can be divided into three stages: the initial stage, the development stage, and the upward stage. The initial period was from the establishment of an expert group in 1971 to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although ASEAN discussed disaster management, there was a lack of effective cooperation mechanisms. During the development period from the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) in 2005 to the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, ASEAN established a cooperation mechanism and played a core role in international aid. The upward trend began with the implementation of AADMER in 2009, when ASEAN integrated the concept of centrality into disaster management and proposed the goal of becoming a global leader.

4、 Application of Social Creation Strategy in ASEAN Disaster Management Field

ASEAN applies social creation strategies in the field of disaster management to maintain its central position. ASEAN has incorporated disaster management into its core agenda and shaped its image as a global leader. By effectively responding to the Cyclone Nargis disaster, ASEAN has strengthened its confidence in disaster management and provided critical assistance to member countries during the disaster, consolidating its capabilities in this field. In the face of geopolitical changes, especially the United States' "pivot to the Asia Pacific" policy and "Indo Pacific strategy", ASEAN has adopted an adaptive strategy, recognizing Southeast Asia as a part of the "Indo Pacific region" and emphasizing its central role in the regional architecture in the ASEAN Indo Pacific Outlook.

5、 Conclusion

The establishment of ASEAN's central position relies on the recognition of others. Faced with threats from countries outside the region such as the United States, ASEAN chooses to use social creation strategies in the field of disaster management to maintain its position. ASEAN has gradually established a global leadership image and gained recognition from regional countries by effectively responding to the Nargis typhoon disaster. However, the Quad Group led by the United States has also begun to intervene in regional disaster management, which may pose a challenge to the central position of ASEAN. The success of ASEAN in disaster management demonstrates its potential to maintain a central position in relatively secondary areas, but with the strengthening of US activities in the Asia Pacific region, ASEAN will face greater pressure in the future.