UPSC Articles
Oct 27: East Asia Summit – https://youtu.be/nRC1dpdzhDg
TOPIC:
- GS-II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.
East Asia Summit
Context: At the 16th East Asia Summit, leaders discussed matters of regional and international interest and concern including Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, UNCLOS, terrorism, and the situation in Korean Peninsula and Myanmar.
India –
- Reaffirmed India’s focus on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and support for ASEAN’s centrality in the region.
- India remains committed to strengthening respect for shared values of multilateralism, rules-based international order, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
- Spoke about ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign for post-pandemic recovery and in ensuring resilient global value chains.
- Emphasised on establishment of a better balance between economy and ecology and climate sustainable lifestyle.
- Reaffirmed “ASEAN centrality” in the Indo-Pacific and highlighted the synergies between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
- Raised the idea of developing global standards on cyber security.
EAS leaders adopted three statements on mental health, economic recovery through tourism and sustainable recovery, which have been co-sponsored by India.
About East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit is the Indo-Pacific’s premier forum for strategic dialogue at which all key partners meet to discuss political, security and economic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific. This forum has an important role to play in advancing closer regional cooperation.
- The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian regions, based on the ASEAN plus Six mechanism.
- There are 18 members including the ten ASEAN countries along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
- In 2020 EAS members represented 54 per cent of the world’s population and accounted for 62 per cent of global GDP worth an estimated US$52.3 trillion.
- India participated, as a founding member, in the inaugural East Asia Summit held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005. Since then this forum has played a significant role in the strategic and geopolitical evolution of East Asia.
- It is also an important platform for furthering practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific by building upon the convergence between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific and Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative.
- Aim: To further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity; has evolved as a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security and economic issues of common regional concern and plays an important role in the regional architecture.
- Six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS–
- Environment and Energy
- Education
- Finance
- Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases
- Natural Disaster Management
- ASEAN Connectivity
