Japan to help EAS in regional contribution (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-12-10 14:40
Japan, a participant of the first East Asia Summit (EAS), will help develop
the EAS into a framework that will contribute to regional development, Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in Kuala Lumpur Saturday.
This will be accomplished through discussions on the modality of future
regional cooperation with three aspects serving as its pillars, he said.
The areas are "open regionalism", "respect for universal values such as
democracy and human rights as well as observation of global rules such as those
of the World Trade Organization (WTO)" and "promotion of practical cooperation
in socioeconomic affairs and untraditional security areas."
"Japan recognizes the East Asia Summit as a place to conduct strategic
discussion on the principles and basic rules of regional cooperation from a
broader perspective," Koizumi said in an interview with the Malaysian national
news agency Bernama.
The Japanese prime minister will attend the EAS here, one of the summits to
be held in conjunction with the 11th ASEAN Summit from December 12-14.
Expressing Japan's support for the materialization of an East Asia Free Trade
Area (EAFTA) in the years to come, he said it is an idea that will facilitate
economic growth by way of increased trade and investment opportunities within
the region.
EAFTA, an ambitious proposal for the evolution of the EAS, will be an
integral element of the East Asian Community. It encompasses a market of nearly
2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of 8 trillion US
dollars.
The formation of an EAFTA is one of the nine medium to long- term measures in
the recommendations presented by the East Asia Study Group Report.
The EAS, Koizumi noted, will provide a historical opportunity for ASEAN
member countries and its other participants, -- Japan, China, South Korea,
Australia, New Zealand and India -- to conduct discussions on the modality of
desirable regional cooperation in the future with a view to building an East
Asian community.
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