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.