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Monday, January 15, 2007
Southeast Asian leaders hold summits with China, other partners
CEBU CITY -- Asian powerhouses Japan, China, and South Korea held their first joint summit in two years Sunday, urging North Korea to drop its nuclear program and trying to deepen trade ties with Southeast Asia.
A series of talks were held on the eve of this year's last big Asian regional meeting, which was set for Monday and meant to tackle energy security as the fast-developing area--spanning from Australia to India -- seeks ways to lessen dependency on Mideast oil and forge trade deals.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
The talks, hosted in the central city of Cebu, came a day after the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) completed its own annual meeting, vowing to strengthen political solidarity, fight terrorism and create a free trade zone by 2015.
South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed concern over North Korea's nuclear test, and restated the need to fully carry out UN sanctions against Pyongyang.
The countries are looking for a way to persuade North Korea to return to international talks aimed at getting it to abandon its nuclear weapons program. The most recent round of international talks on the issue broke down without progress last month in Beijing.
According to a statement delivered after Sunday's Asean-South Korea summit, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed "solidarity" with efforts to solve the standoff through talks.
"The nuclear test of North Korea casts a blight on our dream of one caring and sharing community," she said in the statement.
She said the region hopes North Korea's October 9 nuclear test will not inspire an arms race, particularly with Tokyo.
"It may be tempting for Japan to consider becoming a nuclear weapons state," the statement said. "But the possession of nuclear weapons by more countries in our region will only lead to greater risks, not less."
The Japan-China-South Korea meeting provided a chance for the three neighbors to mend ties damaged by disputes over several small islands, oil drilling rights and Japanese leaders' visits to a Tokyo war shrine seen by many as a symbol of Japanese militarism.
"I would like to make an effort to keep holding summits with China and South Korea, and also to build up better communication and trust with both nations," Abe said afterward.
In other meetings, the Asean leaders and India agreed to increase economic and cultural exchanges, and suggested southeast Asia play a "balancing role" between the emerging economic powerhouses of India and China.
They also expressed support for a free trade agreement between India and Asean member states.
On Monday, the Asean leaders will hold their final summit in Cebu with Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, China and South Korea.
They will sign The Cebu Goals on East Asian Energy Security, which aims to help countries reduce their dependence on conventional fuels and seek new energy sources, particularly biofuels.
Minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in infrastructure - such as a regional electricity grid and a natural gas pipeline spanning Southeast Asia - to ensure stable energy supplies will also be discussed, according to a draft agreement.
Asean's members are the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Also arriving here on Sunday were Australia and New Zealand, Asean's two other "dialogue partners" for a broader summit to be held on Monday. (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (January 15, 2007 issue)
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