Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak called on world leaders to confront Islamic terrorism, saying its "barbaric acts" do not represent any race or religion, as he opened a regional summit overshadowed by a spate of attacks around the globe. Indonesia's Prime Minister Joko Widodo, center, and Myanmar's President Thein Sein, right, sign documents as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen looks on during the signing ceremony of the 2015 Kuala LumpurDeclaration on the Est...
"PM narendramodi present asKuala Lumpur Declaration establishes Asean Community" Vikas Swarup spokesperson in the external affairs ministry tweeted.
Chinese Premier LI Keqiang on Friday joined other world leaders like US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the East Asian and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits inKuala Lumpurin Malaysia.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Najib Razak of host Malaysia, said: "In practice we have already virtually eliminated tariff barriers between us under the ASEAN free trade area".
"Further, it actively contributes to the creation of a rules-based approach in managing inter-State relations in the region", he said.
"Asean can only demonstrate its commitment to community building and implementation of theAsean Communityagenda and the Asean Vision 2025 by ensuring engagement of all stakeholders through multifaceted dialogue, feedback and effective participation in determining and shaping the aspiration and future of the region and its peoples", he said.
After the signing, the leaders marked the occasion with a single simultaneous strike of 10 drums, symbolising Asean's march towards a common destiny. He added that China is willing to work with India for "early harvests" in the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
TheASEAN Communitycomprises three core pillars, namely the ASEAN Political Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The AEC will become a legal entity on December 31. The region's diversity can sometimes be a hindrance.
One isthe Asean Economic Community, better known as AEC.
Each Asean nation is still focused on its own interests ahead of the AEC and there appears to be little popular support or political appetite for deeper integration, or funding for it, said Michael Every, head of Asia Pacific financial markets research at Rabobank Group in Hong Kong.
The economic community also vowed that the region will "remain free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, as well as contribute to global efforts on disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy". "The AEC is a process".
Source: http://telegraphstandard.com/
Key words: Southeast Asian Countries Union, EU-Style 'ASEAN Economic Community' Formally
