East Asia Summit begins, India calls for greater eco integration

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

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

The agenda of the summit includes energy security, stabilisation of the regional financial system, mitigating natural disasters, environment and other subjects of common interest which India thinks can 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) presented to them a report on ''East Asia Regional Economic and Financial Situation.'' The leaders will sign the Cebu Declaration on Energy Security 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 Kuala Lumpur as a forum for dialogue on broad, strategic, political and economic 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 two summits was a reflection of the increasing significance of the ''Eastern orientation'' of its foreign policy and its quest for closer engagement with the countries of this region.

The two summits were originally scheduled for last month but the Philippines postponed the 12th ASEAN Summit and all other related events 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 merely as an external economic policy but also as a strategic shift in its vision 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 two summits to talk about India's economic growth and the steps taken by his government which have made Indian industry more competitive globally and turned India into a vibrant marketplace and a productive and profitable business destination.

He has also stressed that economic activities cannot be confined to national borders and must be channelled to fuel growth in each other'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 will spend the night before visiting the violence-hit areas of Asom tomorrow.

UNI