Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's five-day trip to Hanoi through Sunday appears to have been a disappointment, with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao preferring to meet with European leaders rather than him.
Apart from attending a three-day summit of the 39-member Asia-Europe Meeting and speaking twice to reporters, the only official duties undertaken by Koizumi were holding talks with just two ASEM leaders -- French President Jacques Chirac and host Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
To make up for the lack of formal bilateral meetings, Koizumi had brief chats with Wen, South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and some other leaders.