The seventh East Asia Summit (EAS) was held at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 19 November 2012. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen chaired the meeting. The Leaders of East Asia Summit adopted a joint declaration for the 7th East Asia Summit following the regional responses to control Malaria and address the resistance to anti-malarial medicines.
The Phnom Penh Declaration of the East Asia Summit Development Initiative was also taken on this occasion. Discussions and exchange of views on different regional and international issues was also done between the leaders of the member-nations.
Apart from the 10 members of the ASEAN representatives from eight different countries namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and United States of America also participated in the summit.
Issues Discussed
The leaders of the East India Summit discussed on a variety of issues to seek mutual cooperation for growth and to decide the future direction of the member nations.
Priority Areas
1. Environment and energy
2. Education
3. Finance
4. Global health issues and pandemic diseases
5. Natural disaster mitigation
6. ASEAN connectivity
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia and the largest city of the country. It is located on the bank of River Mekong. Phnom Penh is the centre for all types of economic and industrial activities in the nation.
Other summits that concluded at Peace Palace
1. 4th ASEAN-U.S. Leaders’ Meeting Peace Palace, 19 November 2012
2. 15th ASEAN-ROK Summit Peace Palace, 19 November 2012
3. ASEAN Plus Three Commemorative Summit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012
4. 15TH ASEAN-JAPAN SUMMIT Phnom Penh, 19 November 2012
5. 15TH ASEAN-China Summit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012
6. 7th East Asia Summit (EAS) Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 20 November 2012
Who are EAS Members?
| All 10 ASEAN members | Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam | 10 |
| 6 Regional partners | China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. | 6 |
| 2 Superpowers | US, Russia (from 2011 onwards) | 2 |
| Total Members of East Asia Summit= | 18 | |
- Both East Asia Summit EAS (7th) and ASEAN-India (10th) summit were held @ Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Nov-2012).
What are EAS priority areas?
- Energy
- Economy
- Education
- Disaster Management
- Pandemics+Health (Malaria this year)
- Connectivity
- An Asia-wide free trade agreement .
- This agreement will bind the 10 nations of the ASEAN, + 6 regional partners into a massive framework for economic integration.
| 10 ASEAN nations | 6 regional partners |
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- RCEP would be the largest regional trading arrangement in the world so far.
- It’ll combined market population of more than 3 billion people and a combined GDP of about 20 trillion dollars.
- A successful RCEP would significantly boost global trade and investment for India as well.
What is Nalanda University Project?
- Nalanda was a renowned Buddhist centre of learning, in Ancient India. It taught students in medicine, mathematics, astronomy and politics.
- The Modern Day Nalanda Univ. project = brain child of Dr.Kalam. and was endorsed by East Asia Summit members.
- 2010: Indian parliament passed an Act to rebuild the university.
- Aim: to attract thousands of the finest teachers and students from around the globe, just as the university did centuries ago.
- 2012: Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen was appointed first Chancellor of this univ.
- first two schools on ecology and environment and historical studies will start in 2014.
- Malaria is a wholly preventable and treatable disease. Yet it kills thousands of people in the Asia-Pacific every year.
- East Asian leaders have agreed to form an alliance with Pacific nations to
- fight against malaria and
- Deal with the drug-resistant strains of Malaria.
This is the first Issue @EAS
- China insisted that Diaoyu /Senkaku island conflict (click me), along with its other maritime disputes in the region, should not be discussed at the East Asia summit
- but rather deal with these issues on a bilateral basis (two countries talking to each other).
- The Asian countries involved in these disputes have expressed an unwillingness to engage in heated debate over disputes during the EAS summit, Because of China’s powerful geopolitical position + their dependence on trade with China.
- During the EAS summit, Obama discussed a the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a type of Free Trade Agreement between USA vs Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore etc.
- This is a US invasion on China’s economic turf.
- If signed, the agreement could pose a great challenge to Chinese products.
- China is expanding its military clout (through Strings of Pearl + 5th Generation stealth aircraft, as we saw in earlier article. click ME)
- On the other hand, to balance Chinese domination, America is strengthening its traditional military alliances in the region and building new partnerships.
- That’s why, Obama is also making trips to Myanmar and Thailand (in pretext of visiting EAS).
- USA is also planning to deploy 60 per cent of its armed forces in the Pacific theater.
- In the coming year, For ASEAN, it will be difficult to keep political unity due to China’s rising power.
- The small Asian nations are looking towards the US to balance a rising China. So a new cold war theater is emerging.
- The fact that they invited the US itself was a recognition that if you are in a cage with an 800-pound gorilla, you should at least invite another one into it to provide a balance. (C Raja Mohan)
- During the Cold War, India was a leading figure in the Non-Aligned Movement of countries that tried to avoid joining the U.S. or the Soviet Union.
- IF China unwilling to make reasonable solutions to settling the border dispute, then you can visualize a scenario where India may be non-aligned, but it does more things with the U.S.
- We want to expand our influence in Asia through so-called “Look East Policy.” But that opportunity is not without risk.
- ASEAN countries want to evolve a Code of Conduct for use of resources of South China Sea in the light of Chinese claims.
- In EAS and ASEAN summit, India will have to address the many questions on where India stands in the rapidly deteriorating regional security environment. And that cannot be done without annoying China. Although, we’ve already annoyed China.
- We’ve gone nose-to-nose with China over an oil-drilling pact with Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea
- We’ve deployed three Brahmos cruise-missile regiments on border with China following a number of Chinese provocations.
- Soon, we will recruit 100,000 new soldiers for posting along the same frontier.
- Today We are one of the biggest economies and largest militaries in the region.
- So, we have the responsibility and opportunity to mitigate great power tensions (US-China) and defuse regional conflicts in Asia.
- After all, India’s independent foreign policy was always about shaping a sustainable order in Asia and beyond.
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