East Asian Leaders Issue Joint Declaration
After the meetings of ASEAN +3 and ASEAN +1, the leaders of the ten ASEAN countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea signed a joint declaration on East Asian co-operation.
The announcement noted, "Diplomatic and trade relation in Eastern Asia have become more and more developed, which has created many opportunities for co-operation. Many new factors have pushed peace, stability and prosperity in the region".
The announcement recalled the decision of leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea at the sixth ASEAN summit in Hanoi on holding regular high-level meetings. It also stressed the determination to boost this dialogue process as well as co-operation, which would help promote joint action in Eastern Asia in priority fields of mutual benefits and concern, especially when coping with challenges in the future".
According to the announcement, the leaders of the 13 countries have agreed to push ahead co-operation in commerce, investment and technology; to encourage technical co-operation in information technology, industry and agriculture; and to boost co-operation in finance, tax, social development and human resources. In the fields of politics and security, they agreed to continue dialogues and co-operation in order to strengthen mutual understanding and confidence for the goal of peace and stability in Eastern Asia.
