The 2nd East Asia Summit opened on Monday in Cebu, the second
largest city of the Philippines, focusing on East Asia
cooperation.
Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of the ASEAN member countries,
and those of Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand
attended the summit.
At the summit, Wen is set to exchange views with other leaders
on energy security and the future development of the event itself
in an attempt to make it play a constructive and active role in
enhancing cooperation in the region.
He will put forward several "principle proposals" on energy,
avian influenza prevention, finance, education and mitigation of
natural disasters.
Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said earlier that East
Asia cooperation was open and inclusive and China encouraged other
countries outside the region to strengthen cooperation and
exchanges with the member nations, adding that China supported
ASEAN in playing a leading role in the process of promoting East
Asia cooperation.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), established
on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, now groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar
and Cambodia.
The first East Asia Summit, attended by leaders of the 10 ASEAN
member countries and those of the ASEAN's six dialogue partners --
China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand -- took
place in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on December 14,
2005.
The 2nd East Asia Summit, scheduled on December 14, 2006, was
postponed to January due to the devastating typhoon Utor, which
ripped through the island country.
(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2007)
