| East Asia Summit (EAS) held last year via video © AFP=News1 |
The East Asia Summit (EAS), in which 18 countries including Korea, China, Japan and the United States participate, will be held in the late evening on the 27th.
This meeting will be held via video as in last year in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
At this EAS, the leaders are expected to discuss issues such as the South China Sea, a territorial dispute between China and neighboring countries, and the newly formed security consultative body ‘AUKUS’ between the United States and Britain and Australia.
NHK predicted that North Korea’s ballistic missile launch issue and Myanmar’s issue, which has been in turmoil since the coup in February, will also be discussed by EAS leaders.
President Moon Jae-in will also attend the meeting. At this meeting, President Moon plans to comprehensively summarize the achievements of the New Southern Policy, which the Korean government has been emphasizing over the past four years, while also reviewing the future cooperation system.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the draft joint statement by EAS contains concerns about the situation in Myanmar. Specifically, it is expected that the content will include “I am concerned about the situation surrounding the victims and violence” in relation to the Myanmar military.
Meanwhile, in the United States, President Joe Biden is expected to attend the event. Former President Donald Trump has been criticized for neglecting Asia by not attending EAS even once during his tenure.
EAS was launched in 2005 by 10 ASEAN countries, Korea, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and India to exchange opinions on the international situation in major regions. In 2011, the United States and Russia were added as member states.
pasta@news1.kr
