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Reuters-Southeast Asia Looks North



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Southeast Asia Looks North=20
12:15 a.m. Nov 27, 1999 Eastern=20
By Chris Johnson=20

MANILA (Reuters) - Asian leaders gathered in the Philippines on Saturday =
for a summit that could be a springboard for the establishment of a =
regional common market.=20

Presidents and prime ministers of the 10-member Association of South =
East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet Japanese Prime Minister Keizo =
Obuchi, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim =
Dae-jung at a series of weekend summits.=20

With their economies emerging from two-and-a-half years of crisis, the =
leaders might be expected to be complacent.=20

But currency crashes, recessions and political turmoil since 1997 have =
weakened the region and forced governments to rethink their old economic =
and diplomatic assumptions.=20

A draft ``surveillance report'' prepared for the ASEAN leaders and =
obtained by Reuters on Saturday highlighted one problem:=20

``As ASEAN has been focusing on recovering from crisis, competition from =
other countries within Asia and outside has continued to intensify,'' =
the report said.=20

In response, Southeast Asian ministers and their Northeast Asian =
counterparts are contemplating expanding regional cooperation far more =
widely than previously anticipated and the first steps in this direction =
could be endorsed this weekend.=20

ASEAN -- comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, =
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- has become =
more interdependent during the regional financial crisis and sees this =
cooperation as one way to regain high growth rates of previous years.=20

The vision is for a common market encompassing the tiger economies of =
Southeast Asia and their three northern neighbors, later a common =
currency and perhaps even a common foreign policy.=20

Stung by criticism that it was slow to respond to the carnage in East =
Timor and unable to deal effectively with regional problems, ASEAN is =
gradually dumping a convention of non-interference in their neighbors =
``internal affairs.''=20

``In the past these were issues exclusively for the governments of those =
countries. But the crisis certainly has changed that perception,'' Thai =
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan told Reuters.=20

``The crisis has convinced everybody that issues that used to be seen as =
internal and sensitive can have implications for the region as a =
whole,'' he said in an interview.=20

Asian governments want increasingly to address issues as a region and =
hope this weekend to ink an agreement settling a dispute over right to =
the potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, claimed =
by China and four ASEAN states.=20

China has said it will not be rushed into that deal and analysts have =
said there are many barriers to greater regional integration, not least =
rivalry between the region's two major powerhouses China and Japan, and =
the Korean conflict.=20

But economic imperatives do allow for strange bedfellows.=20

``Regular cooperation as embodied by ASEAN has made quite some =
progress,'' a senior Japanese official told reporters, speaking about =
Tokyo's stand on more regional cooperation.=20

``It seems to be spilling over to north Asia, which is a welcome thing. =
But it is still in its incipient phase.''=20

But he said Japan was positive toward the idea: ``As far as Japan is =
concerned, it does provide us with a new opportunity to open a new vista =
in our Asian policy.''=20

For ASEAN, economically resurgent after the 1997/98 crisis, regional =
cooperation is vital for maintaining buoyancy.=20

The resurgence has been export-driven and eliminating trade barriers =
forms the core of intra-ASEAN cooperation. Extending this, with more =
access to lucrative Chinese and Japanese markets, is a mouth-watering =
prospect, regional officials have said.=20

``Our future depends on our relations with our neighbors,'' Philippine =
Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu said on Friday.=20

``We are subjected to external pressure that we may not be able to =
control. That is why there is need to look at what China is going to do, =
what Japan is going to do, what South Korea is going to do.''=20





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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Southeast Asia =
Looks=20
North</STRONG></FONT> <BR>12:15 a.m. Nov 27, 1999 Eastern=20
<P><STRONG>By Chris Johnson</STRONG>=20
<P>MANILA (Reuters) - Asian leaders gathered in the Philippines on =
Saturday for=20
a summit that could be a springboard for the establishment of a regional =
common=20
market.=20
<P>Presidents and prime ministers of the 10-member Association of South =
East=20
Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, =
Chinese=20
Premier Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung at a series =
of=20
weekend summits.=20
<P>With their economies emerging from two-and-a-half years of crisis, =
the=20
leaders might be expected to be complacent.=20
<P>But currency crashes, recessions and political turmoil since 1997 =
have=20
weakened the region and forced governments to rethink their old economic =
and=20
diplomatic assumptions.=20
<P>A draft ``surveillance report'' prepared for the ASEAN leaders and =
obtained=20
by Reuters on Saturday highlighted one problem:=20
<P>``As ASEAN has been focusing on recovering from crisis, competition =
from=20
other countries within Asia and outside has continued to intensify,'' =
the report=20
said.=20
<P>In response, Southeast Asian ministers and their Northeast Asian =
counterparts=20
are contemplating expanding regional cooperation far more widely than =
previously=20
anticipated and the first steps in this direction could be endorsed this =

weekend.=20
<P>ASEAN -- comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, =
Myanmar, the=20
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- has become more =
interdependent=20
during the regional financial crisis and sees this cooperation as one =
way to=20
regain high growth rates of previous years.=20
<P>The vision is for a common market encompassing the tiger economies of =

Southeast Asia and their three northern neighbors, later a common =
currency and=20
perhaps even a common foreign policy.=20
<P>Stung by criticism that it was slow to respond to the carnage in East =
Timor=20
and unable to deal effectively with regional problems, ASEAN is =
gradually=20
dumping a convention of non-interference in their neighbors ``internal=20
affairs.''=20
<P>``In the past these were issues exclusively for the governments of =
those=20
countries. But the crisis certainly has changed that perception,'' Thai =
Foreign=20
Minister Surin Pitsuwan told Reuters.=20
<P>``The crisis has convinced everybody that issues that used to be seen =
as=20
internal and sensitive can have implications for the region as a =
whole,'' he=20
said in an interview.=20
<P>Asian governments want increasingly to address issues as a region and =
hope=20
this weekend to ink an agreement settling a dispute over right to the=20
potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, claimed by =
China=20
and four ASEAN states.=20
<P>China has said it will not be rushed into that deal and analysts have =
said=20
there are many barriers to greater regional integration, not least =
rivalry=20
between the region's two major powerhouses China and Japan, and the =
Korean=20
conflict.=20
<P>But economic imperatives do allow for strange bedfellows.=20
<P>``Regular cooperation as embodied by ASEAN has made quite some =
progress,'' a=20
senior Japanese official told reporters, speaking about Tokyo's stand on =
more=20
regional cooperation.=20
<P>``It seems to be spilling over to north Asia, which is a welcome =
thing. But=20
it is still in its incipient phase.''=20
<P>But he said Japan was positive toward the idea: ``As far as Japan is=20
concerned, it does provide us with a new opportunity to open a new vista =
in our=20
Asian policy.''=20
<P>For ASEAN, economically resurgent after the 1997/98 crisis, regional=20
cooperation is vital for maintaining buoyancy.=20
<P>The resurgence has been export-driven and eliminating trade barriers =
forms=20
the core of intra-ASEAN cooperation. Extending this, with more access to =

lucrative Chinese and Japanese markets, is a mouth-watering prospect, =
regional=20
officials have said.=20
<P>``Our future depends on our relations with our neighbors,'' =
Philippine=20
Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu said on Friday.=20
<P>``We are subjected to external pressure that we may not be able to =
control.=20
That is why there is need to look at what China is going to do, what =
Japan is=20
going to do, what South Korea is going to do.''=20
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