More luncheons required for the EAEC<\/p>\n
By Pandaya<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Four years after it was introduced by Malaysia,
\nthe controversial East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC) receives only
\ntacit support from Southeast Asian countries and is still
\npolitely rejected by their Western allies.<\/p>\n
During last month's Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\nministerial meeting, ASEAN officials were busy trying to sell the
\nidea to potential members Japan, South Korea and China through
\nworking lunches.<\/p>\n
But, alas, the response was still lukewarm.<\/p>\n
"So how many more working luncheons should be held before the
\nEAEC finally takes shape?" quipped a journalist.<\/p>\n
All this suggests that Kuala Lumpur will need more time before
\nthe initiative comes to fruition.<\/p>\n
ASEAN ministers have asked their counterparts what they think
\nabout the EAEC initiative. The Japanese reportedly maintained
\nthat anything established must not be controversial.<\/p>\n
Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen also cast doubt over the
\ninitiative, warning that the EAEC could lead to divisions in the
\nAsia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
However, ASEAN Secretary-General Dato' Ajit Singh said in last
\nweek's interview with Jakarta journalists that no country had
\nopenly rejected the EAEC idea at the recent Bangkok luncheon.<\/p>\n
"Nobody spoke against EAEC or aired their suspicion," Dato'
\nAjit, whom ASEAN has assigned to explore the prospects of the
\ninitiative, said.<\/p>\n
Now Dato' Ajit will have to bring the EAEC matter up to the
\nthree prospective members of ASEAN: Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
\nfor support. And this will take quite some time considering the
\nfact that ASEAN needed two years to reach consensus on the EAEC.<\/p>\n
"We will continue to develop the concept and at the same time
\ncontinue to talk among ourselves on aspects of EAEC and how we
\nwant to develop it," he said.<\/p>\n
Dato' Ajit has visited a number of prospective member
\ncountries, including Japan, China and South Korea,to ask their
\nideas about the caucus initiative.<\/p>\n
In last month's ASEAN ministerial meeting, the caucus
\ninitiative received only tacit support, including that from
\nIndonesia which felt uneasy because it was not adequately
\ninformed on the details of the initiative at the time it was
\nintroduced.<\/p>\n
"The foreign ministers noted the progress made in the
\nconsultations to launch the East Asia Economic Caucus with
\npotential members and welcomed their valuable inputs and
\nsuggestions. The ministers agreed that these consultations should
\nbe continued," the ministers said in their communique.<\/p>\n
First initiated by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhamad
\nin December 1990 as the Asia Economic Group (EAEG), the idea was
\nnot well-planned at the time it was introduced, leaving other
\ncountries grappling for details.<\/p>\n
EAEG was meant to be a regional economic and trade clearing
\nhouse, which would not be in conflict with the General Agreement
\non Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or the Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) backed by the West.<\/p>\n
Malaysia argues that with the wealthy western states
\nstrengthening their trade blocks, Asia-Pacific economies should
\nestablish their own without the U.S. and Canada, which have the
\nNAFTA (North America Free Trade Area), and Australia and New
\nZealand which already have a trading agreement.<\/p>\n
The concept met with fierce rejection from the United States'
\nBush administration, spearheaded by the then state secretary
\nJames Baker at the 1991 APEC forum, prompting Malaysia to bring
\nthe EAEG concept to ASEAN.<\/p>\n
ASEAN then decided to push the EAEG concept on, realizing that
\nthe formation of European Union and NAFTA could lead to a
\nprotectionist trading block. Then APEC braved the American
\nopposition and accepted the inclusion of EAEG within it.
\nWashington backed the move provided that EAEG be renamed East
\nAsia Economic Caucus (EAEC).<\/p>\n
ASEAN rejected the American opposition and managed to assure
\nWashington that EAEC would remain an informal forum for
\nconsultations among East Asian nations and within the framework
\nof APEC, in which the U.S. is among the 15 members.<\/p>\n
Australia, which -- like the U.S. -- is a strong advocate of
\nAPEC, has also voiced skepticism about the EAEC.<\/p>\n
"EAEC is an idea whose time has not yet come in terms of being
\na distinctive, separate organization within the region. It is a
\nmatter of waiting to see what emerges," Australian Foreign
\nMinister Gareth Evans says.<\/p>\n
"At best EAEC is a distraction from APEC, at worst it is a
\ndivision within APEC," he says.<\/p>\n
There are strong indications that ASEAN members, especially
\nMalaysia, will have to spare a lot more time and money to hold
\nmore working luncheons to sell the EAEC idea before the caucus
\nactually comes into being.<\/p>",
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