East Asia Summit

East Asia Summit

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• East Asia Summit is a unique Leaders-led forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity.
• Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal players in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and concern in an open and transparent manner at the highest level.
• It is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of ASEAN.
• 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 (i.e. China, Japan and ROK), recommended EAS as an ASEAN led development limited to the ASEAN +3 countries. However, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Vientiane on July 26, 2005 welcomed the participation of ASEAN, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand, in the first EAS. USA and the Russian Federation were formally included as members of the EAS at the 6th EAS held in Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2011.

East Asia Summit Members

Recent Annual summit

6 priority areas of regional cooperation

1. Environment and Energy,
2. Education,
3. Finance,
4. Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases,
5. Natural Disaster Management, and
6. ASEAN Connectivity

India’s involvement in regional collaboration Education

• In the area of Education, at the 4th East Asia Summit (EAS), held in Thailand on 24-25 October 2009, the EAS Leaders endorsed the proposal for the revival of Nalanda University, to bring together the brightest minds from all the countries of Asia.
• The idea was first mooted by former President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006.
• The archaeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara, that is, Nalanda University, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2016.
• Nalanda was a renowned Buddhist centre of learning, in Ancient India. It taught students in medicine, mathematics, astronomy and politics
• The University envisages seven schools located at its campus in Rajgir
• Ministry of External Affairs has offered 6 scholarships to students from Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Vietnam to pursue higher studies at Nalanda University

Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases

• Australia and India are co-chairs of the Task Force for Access to Quality Medicines and other Technologies Task Force (AQMTF)
• India has also hosted a Round table on Trauma Care and Nursing on 15-16 October 2015, in New Delhi

Natural Disaster Management

• 2012: India hosted an ‘EAS-India Workshop 2012: Building Regional Framework for Earthquake Risk Management’ in New Delhi
• 2014: India also hosted the first Meeting of the 24×7 Points of Contact among the National Disaster Response Agencies of East Asia Summit (EAS) countries
• Launch of Virtual Knowledge Portal (VKP).  The Virtual Knowledge Portal (VKP), a web based tool to share knowledge and best practices related to natural disaster risk assessment, mitigation and response among EAS countries. It is hosted by Natural Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi.

Launch of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

• At the 7th EAS in November 2012, the Leaders of 16 EAS participating countries launched the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
• The objective of RCEP is to achieve a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement and will cover trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement and other issues.
• India is participating in the working group level discussions and negotiations for RCEP.
• ASEAN and the 6 FTA Partners of ASEAN, which includes India, are the RCEP participating countries.

ASEAN connectivity

• On ASEAN connectivity, at the 6th EAS, Leaders had shared the view that the effective implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) will not only bring benefit to ASEAN, but also the East Asia region as a whole and ASEAN Connectivity was included as an additional area of cooperation within EAS.
• At the 10th ASEAN-India Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 19 November 2012, PM reiterated that connectivity with ASEAN in all its dimensions – physical, institutional and people-to-people – is a strategic priority for India.
• Regional cooperation through public-private partnership (PPP) is envisaged to take the agenda forward and India is actively taking part in the deliberations with the regional partners.

11th EAS

• At the 11th EAS held on 8 September 2016, the Leaders adopted the following Statements/ Declarations:
  • Vientiane Declaration on Promoting Infrastructure Development Cooperation in East Asia;
  • East Asia Statement on Non Proliferation;
  • East Asia Summit Declaration on Strengthening Responses to Migrants in Crisis and Trafficking in Persons.

Final Declaration

• The East Asia Summit (EAS) adopted their final declaration in its 2016 summit at Laos.
• India and other leader of the 18 - member East Asia Summit reaffirmed their support to promote nuclear disarmament and nuclear non - proliferation as they underlined the importance of nuclear security to combat nuclear terrorism at national and global levels.
• The countries emphasised the importance of advancing nuclear disarmament, non - proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy as ‘Mutually reinforcing pillars’.
• They also noted that much of the projected world growth in civil nuclear energy will occur in the Indo - Pacific region.
• The EAS urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and uphold its international legal obligations.
• The grouping also expressed grave concern over the DPRK’s nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches and called for the full implementation of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the UNSC sanctions regime and the 2005 Joint Statement.
• The EAS also called for the continuation of joint efforts to resume meaningful Six Party Talks at an early date to make substantial progress in the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
• The members also called for the early commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut - off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament within the context of an agreed, comprehensive and balanced Programme of Work.

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