Asia-Europe summit
Asia-Europe summit
The meeting of the heads of government from 10 East Asian and
15 European countries in Bangkok tomorrow should be historic not
only because it is the first, but also because such summits
usually create a momentum for cooperation. It could all be for
naught, however, if the participants succumb to the temptation of
crowding the meeting with too ambitious an agenda.
Fortunately, the leaders of the seven countries in ASEAN,
along with Japan, China, South Korea and the 15 countries of the
European union, seem to fully realize the danger of attempting
too much. The officials in charge of preparing the summit assure
the meeting will zero in on the issues of greatest interests to
both Asia and Europe. Economic and trade relations are the most
important issues and, at the same time, are the most likely to
cause disputes between nations.
Economic cooperation was the motivation behind forming an
Asia-Europe forum, an idea first conceptualized in 1994. The
first summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in
Seattle in November, 1993, prompted the European Union to devise
what it called a new Asia Strategy in mid-1994. The accelerated
process of cooperation within APEC seemed to push home to the EU
that Europe might be left entirely out of Asia -- the most
dynamic economic region -- if it did not reshape its Asia policy.
Of the three regional economic growth centers, Asia has
outperformed both Europe and North America. To continue this
growth Asia and Europe need some form of networking to forge
stronger economic linkages.
It is imperative that the inaugural summit is designed to lay
the groundwork and set the tone for senior officials to work out
specific policies later. All parties first need to agree on
priority areas of cooperation. Contentious issues like human
rights, workers rights, the environment and other matters not
directly related to trade should be excluded from the main
debate.
The APEC cooperation process charged ahead after the first
summit mainly because the participating countries put aside
contentious political and ideological differences and built on
their common economic interests, thereby enhancing rapport.
The participants of the Asia-Europe summit are equally
diverse, so it is not rational to expect concrete results in
specific areas after just one meeting. APEC took four years to
decide to hold its leaders meeting annually.
Settling how to follow up decisions made by the heads of
government should be the aim of the Asia-Europe summit tomorrow.
Such a mechanism will guarantee that cooperation between Asia and
Europe will continue.