EAST ASIA SUMMIT

About:

• The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum comprising Asia-Pacific countries. EAS meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings.
  
  
• Background: The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2005.
  
  
• Membership:
  • Initially is comprised 16 countries based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. These were 10 ASEAN countries, India, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and South Korea.
    
    
  • In 2011, at the Sixth EAS, the Membership was expanded to 18 countries including Russia and the United States.
    
    
  • Since its establishment, ASEAN has held the central role and leadership in the forum.