The ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) was created in 1993 to help trade among ASEAN countries. A study from 1986 to 2010 looked at how this agreement affected trade. By using the gravity model, they found that factors like GDP, population, distance, and common borders influenced trade. The study found that trade between ASEAN countries stayed strong during the Asian and Global Financial Crises in 1997 and 2008. This shows that the trade agreement helped maintain trade relationships between these countries even during tough times.