» East Asia summit set sights low amid Japan-China row

East Asia summit set sights low amid Japan-China row

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East Asia summit set sights low amid Japan-China row

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - East Asian nations set expectations low on Tuesday for their first summit, playing down talk of a huge new free-trade bloc as the two biggest members continued a feud over their wartime past.

“I think it’s too early to be talking about it,” Australian Prime Minister John Howard said when asked about the prospect of a new trade bloc among the 16 nations to be represented at Wednesday’s inaugural summit in the Malaysian capital.

“You never know what unfolds but it’s far, far too early to be talking about that,” he added, echoing sentiments of both fellow leaders and trade experts who expect little more than a statement of broad direction and a commitment to tackle bird flu.

A bitter argument between Japan and China added to the sense that little concrete would be achieved in talks convened by the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and set to last barely three hours before most leaders fly off.

ASEAN has invited Japan, China, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand to the summit, which will represent about half the world’s population and a fifth of global trade – but exclude the world’s only superpower, the United States.

More: in.today.reuters.com

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