What is your Take on the reported news on Asean Plus 8......
China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand, + United States and Russia.
Anyway My Take:
.....I just think that ASEAN with so many issued not address...ASEAN Free Trade, Human right treatment on political prisoner, Military Junta and Coup within Asean members state, non interferring of member states thru consensous building, contradiction within Asean members on moral authority of being a civil government....than on the side there are ARF, EACS and APEC.......it amount to Talk show...
I wonder what is the rationale of suggesting ASEAN plus 8? The regional power house would have greater influence on consensous anyway.
I was hopping that members from the original 6 asean stood up and walk away from the 10 and said maybe we should go back to the basic of intergrating SEA economies and worked towards to create a geographically single SEA economics basin. And not get caught with different political idealism and proxy interest. Its already difficult to keep original 6 together.
Strait Times....reported.
"ASEAN leaders have agreed to study the proposal of an Asean Plus Eight meeting, which will see the United States and Russia meeting the 10 Asean members and six of the grouping's dialogue partners on a regular but informal basis.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said here on Friday that Asean foreign ministers have been tasked to study the Asean Plus Eight proposal, along with other proposed regional architecture. There was no timeline given on when they would report back to the leaders.
The six Asean dialogue partners are China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand. They are members of the East Asia Summit (EAS), which includes the 10 Asean members. If the Asean Plus Eight idea is endorsed, it will see the 18 countries meeting at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum whenever it is being held in Asia.
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