The advent of the East Asia Summit has been a notable development. However it has also been the focus for some differing opinions in the region on how regional cooperation should best be pursued and on which countries should be principally involved in these efforts. The evolution of the Summit will be significant for the...

Countries participating in the first East Asia Summit will be the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. In this e-brief Frank Frost and Ann Rann provide...

After a brief overview of economic developments and political issues, the paper discusses China’s overall approaches in foreign policy and its relations with the United States, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

The ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold summit meetings in Vientiane, Laos on 29-30 November 2004. The summit will include discussions with leaders of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (as a part of the 'ASEAN Plus Three' process) and also India. ASEAN leaders will also host a...

In the Philippines national elections of 10 May 2004, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (in office since 2001) secured re-election and pro-Arroyo parties also gained majorities in both chambers of Congress. The new Arroyo administration, however, faces formidable challenges, particularly in confronting institutional 'gridlock', pursuing economic reform and seeking to resolve ongoing insurgencies, some with links to...