Asian leaders eye EU-style bloc

[pampango]

Source: BBC

Asian leaders meeting in Thailand are discussing plans to "lead the world" by forming an EU-style community by 2015.

Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama argued nations should take advantage of the region's more rapid recovery from the recession than the West. "It would be meaningful for us to have the aspiration that East Asia is going to lead the world," he said.

The community would involve the 10-members of Asean with regional partners China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand, Japanese officials have said.

Officials said the East Asian nations would carry out a feasibility study for a huge free trade zone. But there was debate at the summit over whether the community would also include the United States.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8323742.stm

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Seems doubtful to me that 16 countries could agree on something like this. Even the EU started out as 6 countries and gradually expanded to 27, as neighbors wanted to join. It is still interesting that all these Asian countries are even discussing something like this.

So far the only developed country that has a free trade agreement with China is New Zealand and it is being gradually phased in and isn't totally in effect yet. China and Australia are currently negotiating an FTA, but a 16-country Asian FTA seems like a big leap. The US has had an FTA with Australia for a long time so I'm not sure what effect a big Asian FTA would have on that.

There may still be "debate at the summit over whether the community would also include the United States", but there wouldn't be much debate here about turning down such an invitation if it ever came. :)

[Tesha]

1. Then again, think back to early 1945 and ponder whether the EU seemed likely.

> Seems doubtful to me that 16 countries could agree on something like this.

Then again, think back to early 1945 and ponder whether the EU seemed likely,
and compare that to how far they have come from war-torn Europe or even the
early European Economic Community status.

I think it's only natural that the countries in the big geographic blocks will band
together to offset the 800-pound gorilla that the US has been. The EU is clearly
on that track and an Asian bloc would probably follow their lead.

Tesha

[pampango]

3. It just seems more likely for an "Asian Union" to grow from a smaller base of members

like the EU when it started with 6 members and gradually grew to its current 27. To start such an "Asian Union" with 16 members all reaching a common agreement at the same time seems very unlikely.

[jwirr]

2. There is a book by Emmanuel Todd that was predicting the regionalization

of the world as a post cold war move. It talked about areas unifying and Asia was one of them. Russia, Iran and EU would get closer, central and south America would also unite in their goals. That would leave the USA with Canada and Mexico. Most of this is happening - except our own area. We seem to want to fight while everyone else consolidates their power base. I forget what he said about the ME but my guess is that it will not be good for Israel if the fighting continues.