What is East Asia Summit?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 16th East Asia Summit to be held on October 27 virtually.

What is East Asia Summit?

• The East Asia Summit (EAS) is the Indo-Pacific’s premier forum for strategic dialogue. It is the only leader-led forum at which all key partners meet to discuss political, security and economic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific, and has an important role to play in advancing closer regional cooperation.

• Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal players in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and concern, in an open and transparent manner, at the highest level.

• Since its inception, it has played a significant role in the strategic, geopolitical and economic evolution of East Asia.

• It is also an important platform for furthering practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific by building upon the convergence between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative (IPOI). 

There are six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS. These are:

• Environment and Energy

• Education

• Finance

• Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases

• Natural Disaster Management

• ASEAN Connectivity. 

• India, being a founding member of the East Asia Summit, is committed to strengthening the East Asia Summit and making it more effective for dealing with contemporary challenges. India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.

• Following the adoption of the Manila Plan of Action in 2017, maritime cooperation has been identified as an important area of cooperation under the EAS.

Members of East Asia Summit

• The EAS has 18 members — the ten ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States. 

• ASEAN leads the forum, and the chair position rotates between ASEAN Member States annually. 

• According to estimates, EAS members represent 54 per cent of the world’s population and account for 62 per cent of global GDP.

Genesis of East Asia Summit

• The concept of an East Asia Grouping was first promoted in 1991 by the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad. 

• The final report of the East Asian Study Group in 2002, established by the ASEAN+3 countries (China, Japan and South Korea), recommended EAS as an ASEAN-led development limited to the ASEAN +3 countries. 

• However, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Vientiane in July  2005 welcomed the participation of ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand, in the first EAS. 

• The US and the Russian Federation were formally included as members of the EAS at the 6th EAS held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2011.

16th East Asia Summit

• PM Modi will also attend the 16th East Asia Summit to be held virtually on October 27 that will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concern including maritime security and terrorism.

• The leaders are also expected to accept declarations on mental health, economic recovery through tourism and green recovery, which are being co-sponsored by India.

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