|
New ASEM Member countries |
|
|
The ASEM 6 Summit held in September 2006 decided to admit Bulgaria and Romania on the European side, and India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the ASEAN Secretariat on the Asian side to the ASEM process, upon their completion of the necessary procedures (for Bulgaria and Romania, upon their accession to the EU).
Now, the twenty five EU Member States, the European Commission and thirteen Asian countries (Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) participate in the process. The ASEM 6 Summit held in September 2006 decided to admit Bulgaria and Romania on the European side, and India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the ASEAN Secretariat on the Asian side to the ASEM process, upon their completion of the necessary procedures (for Bulgaria and Romania, upon their accession to the EU).
Key characteristics of the ASEM process include:
-
It is informal. It provides an open forum for policy makers and officials to discuss any political, economic and social issues of common interest. In this way it complements work carried out in bilateral and multilateral fora, such as the United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).
-
It is multidimensional, covering the full spectrum of relations between the two regions, and devoting equal weight to political, economic and cultural issues.
-
It emphasises equal partnership, through a process of dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.
-
It provides a platform for meetings at a high level (heads of state or government, ministers and senior officials), and with an increasing focus on fostering people-to-people contacts in all sectors of society.
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 03 April 2009 )
|
