"CEAC Commentary" introduces news analyses andopinions in Japan on the concept of an East AsianCommunity, but they do not represent the views ofCEAC as an institution.
December 31, 2010

East Asia Summit featured by the First
Participation of U.S. and Russia
By ISHIGAKI Yasuji
The ASEAN Summit and other related meetings were convened in Hanoi on 28‐30
October 2010. Among those, the East Asia Summit (EAS) which has been meeting annually
since 2005, has, in particular, seen several important developments. I would like to make a few
comments on them.

1. The formal decision on the entry of U.S. and Russia to the said Summit as participatingstates from 2011 on was made. Both countries advanced their participation on a ministerial levelin the EAS starting one year ahead as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov participated fully as special guests of the Chair in thisyear’s EAS.

2. As a result of the above new development, the EAS which has until now been termed
as nearly an extra copy of ASEAN+3, with no substantively distinctive character of its own,would increase its importance as an 18 member forum with U.S. and Russia therein. From now
on, the EAS would become one of major regional frameworks no less important than theASEAN+3. “The Hanoi Declaration on the Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of the East
Asia Summit,” which declared “All the participating countries agreed to strengthen the EAS
further in the future” was adopted at the Summit .

3. It was observed at the EAS this time that India, Australia and New Zealand, all ofwhom have hitherto kept low profile in this forum, showed their positive attitude in making
contributions on the issues of education, disaster management, etc.

4. Concrete progress was made on several issues such as (1) finance, (2) education, (3)energy, (4) disaster management, and (5) bird flu prevention, all of which have been selected aspriority areas to be addressed intensively by the EAS for regional cooperation.

5. As for the relationship between ASEAN+3 and the EAS, it was confirmed that theformer is a main vehicle to build an East Asia Community as a long‐term goal, while the latter is“a leaders‐led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political and economic
issues of common interest and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic
prosperity and integration in East Asia.”

6. As anticipated, the South China Sea question was discussed as an important issue in
the ASEAN Summit and other related meetings. In the EAS as well, although it was said that
China endeavored in advance for ASEAN countries to refrain from discussing the question inEAS with the assertion that it is an issue to be addressed bilaterally, a number of ASEANmember countries did refer actively to this matter, apparently backed by the U.S.
encouragement to the ASEAN member countries to do so. And it was welcomed that the need
to work together to make guidelines to enhance the enforcement of the Declaration made by
ASEAN and China on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was agreed upon between
China and ASEAN to avoid future conflicts.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that throughout the above process, both U.S. and Russia
have manifested a more positive stance toward ASEAN. At Hanoi, Russia held with ASEAN the2nd Russia‐ASEAN Summit with attendance of President Dmitry Medvedev. On the other hand,U.S. had held earlier the 2nd U.S.‐ ASEAN Summit with attendance of President Barak Obama in
September in New York and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her comprehensive policy
speech at Honolulu on October 28 had announced the U.S. positive attitude in cooperating with
ASEAN and the U.S. policy to put more stress on East Asia.

(This is the English translation of an article written by Mr. ISHIGAKI Yasuji, Delegate forJapan to AALCO and former Professor of Tokai University, as his personal view which
originally appeared on the BBS “Hyakka‐Somei” of CEAC on November 5, 2010.)