East Asia is moving toward regional integration, albeit at a slow pace. In a series of meetings held in Indonesia from late June to early July, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on a package of measures to expedite economic, financial, political and security integration. This signals major changes for Asia.
Meanwhile, a foreign ministers' meeting of the 10-member ASEAN agreed on an action program to establish a regional security alliance by 2020. And an ASEAN-plus-three (Japan, China, South Korea) foreign ministers' meeting agreed to hold an East Asian summit. The first meeting is likely to be held in November 2005 in Malaysia.
The ASEAN Regional Forum, which includes the United States, Russia and North Korea, agreed to strengthen regional security and create a security policy conference of high-level defense officials under Chinese leadership.