Fifth East Asia Summit

The fifth East Asia Summit (EAS), held on 30 October at the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, was chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and attended by Leaders of ASEAN countries, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and India. Also in presence were Russian Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State who represented their respective Presidents as special guests of the chair and participated at the last session of the Summit.

Hanoi Declaration
The Leaders reaffirmed the agreed principles, objectives and modalities of the EAS and adopted the Hanoi Declaration on the Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of East Asia Summit, in which they reiterated their commitment for continued efforts to enhance dialogue and cooperation and set out direction and priority of development for the next period.

The Leaders agreed to intensify cooperation in five priority areas, namely education, finance, energy, disaster management and avian flu prevention, while exploring the possibilities of cooperation in some new areas like post-crisis recovery, sustainable development, climate change etc. The Leaders of EAS participating countries expressed support for the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on Human Resources and Skills Development for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth, which was adopted at the 17th ASEAN Summit, and affirmed their close coordination with ASEAN toward sustainable economic growth in the region. The EAS countries agreed to conduct further study on the possibility of establishing the East Asia Free Trade Area (EAFTA), in parallel with the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) and tasked senior officials to work on the issue and submit concrete recommendations to the Leaders.

Regional and International Issues
The EAS Leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including closer coordination and consultation to prepare for the participation and contribution of the ASEAN Chair at the upcoming G20 Summit in Seoul, Korea, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the global nuclear issue etc.

Recognizing the growing importance of the EAS in promoting dialogue and cooperation in the region, the EAS Leaders committed to further promote dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic political and economic issues for peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia, including dealing with traditional and non-traditional challenges, at the same time, support and assist the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international laws.

The Leaders tasked the Ministers and senior officials to explore ways and means for the improvement of proper mechanism to effectively implement the Leaders' decisions towards an action-oriented EAS process.

The Leaders discussed the expansion of the East Asia Summit and the evolving regional architecture. The EAS Leaders supported ASEAN's view on the formation of a regional architecture, based on the existing regional cooperation processes and ensuring ASEAN centrality. The Leaders welcomed the pro-active participation and constructive contribution of external partners in dealing with emerging challenges facing the region. Taking into account the desire and the potential of contribution by Russia and the United States to this open and inclusive forum, the fifth EAS decided to officially invite Russia and the United States to participate in the EAS from 2011.