EA Summit begins, India for greater eco integration

Cebu, Jan 15: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and leaders of 15other countries of the region gathered here today for the 2nd East AsiaSummit (EAS) to look at ways of deepening and widening their strategic,political and economic engagement and strengthening cooperation in allareas.

Dr Singh told the meeting that it was important to speed up theprocess of putting in place a regional architecture for greatercooperation and economic integration among countries of East Asia.

The agenda of the summit includes energy security, stabilisationof the regional financial system, mitigating natural disasters,environment and other subjects of common interest which India thinkscan only be tackled effectively within a broad inclusive framework.

After the opening session at the Cebu International Convention Centre, the leaders attending the summit went into a retreat.

Later, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) presentedto them a report on ''East Asia Regional Economic and FinancialSituation.'' The leaders will sign the Cebu Declaration on EnergySecurity before meeting over a working lunch.

Dr Singh, who arrived here on Saturday night, attended the 5th India-ASEAN Summit on this central Philippines island yesterday.

India has used the two summits to elevate its engagement in South East and East Asia to qualitatively new levels.

The East Asia Summit was established in December, 2005, at KualaLumpur as a forum for dialogue on broad, strategic, political andeconomic issues of common interest and concern to promote peace,stability and economic prosperity in the region.

The Prime Minister has said that India's participation in the twosummits was a reflection of the increasing significance of the''Eastern orientation'' of its foreign policy and its quest for closerengagement with the countries of this region.

The two summits were originally scheduled for last month but thePhilippines postponed the 12th ASEAN Summit and all other relatedevents because of concerns over an approaching typhoon.

ASEAN brings together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Apart from the 10 ASEAN members and India, the EAS was attended by Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

India sees its ''Look East Policy'', launched in 1992, not merelyas an external economic policy but also as a strategic shift in itsvision of the world and its place in the evolving global economy.

It is also India's way of reaching out to its ''civilisational neighbours'' in South East Asia and East Asia.

The Prime Minister has used the opportunity provided by the twosummits to talk about India's economic growth and the steps taken byhis government which have made Indian industry more competitiveglobally and turned India into a vibrant marketplace and a productiveand profitable business destination.

He has also stressed that economic activities cannot be confinedto national borders and must be channelled to fuel growth in eachother's countries.

The Prime Minister believes that the East Asian Community is a natural extension of the India-ASEAN engagement.

Dr Singh will leave here this afternoon for Kolkata, where he willspend the night before visiting the violence-hit areas of Asom tomorrow.

UNI