Public Diplomacy Public Diplomacy

Chairman’s Statement of the 3rd East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting at Brunei Darussalam

July 03, 2013

  • The 3rd East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on 2 July 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The Meeting was chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Darussalam.
  • The Ministers acknowledged the development and growing importance of the EAS in the regional architecture. Recognising the EAS as a Leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common concerns with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia, the Ministers emphasised the need to further consolidate and strengthen the EAS and to ensure the effective follow-up and implementation of Leaders’ discussions and decisions.
  • The Ministers noted Indonesia’s call for ASEAN to formulate aspirational goals beyond 2015, such as doubling ASEAN’s combined GDP and having the percentage of people living in poverty in the ASEAN region by 2030.
  • The Ministers discussed the follow-up to the 7th EAS and welcomed the progress of the implementation of the EAS cooperation, especially in the six (6) priority areas, namely environment and energy, education, finance, global health issues and pandemic diseases, natural disaster mitigation and ASEAN Connectivity.
  • The Ministers looked forward to the effective and timely implementation of the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative, which was adopted at the 7th EAS in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2012. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed China’s proposal to formulate a Plan of Action (POA) to implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative and agreed for the officials to stock-take EAS initiatives under the Phnom Penh Declaration and develop a plan of action.
  • The Ministers commended Russia on its proposal for a framework of principles on strengthening security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, the Ministers tasked the Senior Officials to convene a series of dialogues and workshops on this matter, taking into account the existing security cooperation. The Ministers also took note of Indonesia’s idea for an Indo-Pacific framework envisaged based on the principles contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and in line with the 2011 Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations (Bali Principles).
  • The Ministers reiterated the importance of ASEAN’s central role in the evolving regional architecture and agreed that the EAS would continue to support the realisation of the ASEAN Community and pave the way towards broader and deeper regional integration.
  • The Ministers recalled the 2010 Ha Noi Declaration on the Commemoration of the 5th Anniversary of the EAS, and the 2012 Chairman’s Statement of the 7th EAS that welcomed Brunei Darussalam’s proposal to conduct a stock-take review and reflection aimed at further consolidating and strengthening the EAS on the basis of its established principles, objectives and modalities and to provide recommendations to the 8th EAS.
  • The Ministers noted the progress of the U.S. – Asia-Pacific Comprehensive Energy Partnership (USACEP) by Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and the United States of America. The Ministers also welcomed the establishment of the Renewable and Alternative Power Generation Work Stream co-chaired by Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America at the 18th EAS Energy Cooperation Task Force Meeting. The Ministers also noted that the Work Stream shall be brought to the 7th EAS Energy Ministers’ Meeting (EAS EMM) for endorsement in September 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, and to be announced by Leaders at the 8th EAS. The Ministers acknowledged the commencement of new research studies by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) with support from Japan, and the successful convening of the Workshop on the ASEAN Energy Outlook on 7 May 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, collaborated with the International Energy Agency (IEA), aiming at its launch in the 7th EAS EMM. The Ministers noted the successful convening of the 1st East Asia Summit New Energy Forum held on 15-16 April 2013 in Kunming, China.
  • The Ministers welcomed the successful convening of the 4th High-Level Seminar on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (HLS-ESC) held on 21-22 March 2013 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, co-organised by Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Viet Nam. The Ministers also noted the proposal by Australia on an EAS climate change adaptation workshop and the Philippines in 2013-2014.
  • The Ministers welcomed the outcome of the Second East Asia Low Carbon Growth Partnership Dialogue held on 18 May 2013 in Tokyo, Japan and co-chaired by Cambodia and Japan.
  • The Ministers acknowledged the continued work under the EAS Education Action Plan (2011-2015) and the benefit of supporting education cooperation projects that would help to improve the quality and mobility of qualifications across the region. The Ministers welcomed the 2nd EAS Education Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Lao PDR in 2014.
  • The Ministers welcomed Brunei Darussalam’s offer of scholarships for an 18-month Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) programme, which would commence on 27 December 2013 at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
  • The Ministers appreciated Japan’s youth exchange project, entitled "Kizuna (bond) Project”, which involved approximately 11,000 youths between Japan and the regions of Asia, Oceania and North America. The Ministers welcomed the launching of the Japan East-Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) 2.0 Project in January 2013, which would exchange a total of 30,000 young people between Japan and Asian/Oceanic region to promote mutual understanding and friendly relations. The Ministers also welcomed the launching of the "KAKEHASHI Project”, which would exchange a total of 4,600 people between North America and Japan for the same purpose.
  • The Ministers welcomed the progress on the revival of Nalanda University and noted that the tenders for construction would be invited shortly. The Ministers noted India’s proposal for the signing of an Inter-Governmental Agreement to facilitate the setting up of the Nalanda University as a non-state, non-profit and self-governing international institution of excellence.
  • The Ministers welcomed India’s suggestion that EAS members begin thinking about a multilateral agreement among interested EAS member countries for bringing in equivalence of qualifications.
  • The Ministers looked forward to the implementation of the Declaration of the 7th EAS on Regional Responses to Malaria Control and Addressing Resistance to Antimalarial Medicines and encouraged all non-ASEAN EAS participating countries to support ASEAN’s efforts to cope with the spread of this disease, either in form of financial or technical assistance. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the convening of the inaugural Asia-Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Alliance (APLMA) to be co-chaired by the Prime Ministers of Australia and Viet Nam at the sidelines of the 8th EAS. The Ministers further noted that Australia and India would co-chair the Access to Quality Medicines Task Force under the APLMA. The Ministers also affirmed the importance of promoting universal health coverage in order to address diverse health needs.
  • The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of enhancing cooperation in disaster management through regional mechanisms. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the various cooperation and linkage between the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and other disaster management authorities in non-ASEAN countries, which contributes to the strengthening of capacity for disaster management in this region. The Ministers welcomed the support of the EAS participating countries to the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
  • The Ministers also welcomed the convening of the first open session of the ACDM on EAS Cooperation on Disaster Management held on 10 January 2013 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Ministers also noted the ACDM’s decisions to have such a session on a regular basis to discuss the linkage between the EAS paper on "A Practical Approach to Enhance Regional Cooperation on Disaster Rapid Response” and the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme (2010-2015) and looked forward to the next session to discuss this further.
  • The Ministers affirmed their support for the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Japan in 2015.
  • The Ministers also welcomed the outcomes of the ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF DiREx) held on 7-11 May 2013 in Cha-Am, Thailand, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise (ADMM-Plus HADR & MM Ex) held on 17-20 June 2013 in Brunei Darussalam. The Ministers looked forward to the convening of the
  • ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Exercise (ARDEX) to be held in October 2013 in Viet Nam and welcomed Indonesia and Australia’s EAS workshop on rapid response to be held in Darwin in September 2013 as well as the Mentawai Megathrust Disaster Relief Exercise in Indonesia in March 2014.
  • As a follow-up to the outcome of the "EAS-India Workshop 2012: Building Regional Framework for Earthquake Risk Management” held in New Delhi on 8-9 November 2012, the Ministers welcomed India’s proposals to establish a network of 24x7 Points of Contacts among the National Disaster Response Agencies of the EAS Participating Countries and a Virtual Knowledge Centre (VKC) to share knowledge and best practices related to natural disaster risk assessment, mitigation and response.
  • The Ministers acknowledged the importance of cooperation in finance and expressed their support to further develop this priority area of EAS cooperation.
  • The Ministers reaffirmed the need to further promote cooperation to support the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and to enhance connectivity within East Asia, taking into account the Declaration of the 6th EAS on ASEAN Connectivity adopted by the Leaders in 2011 in Bali, Indonesia. The Ministers welcomed the engagement to be undertaken between the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) and non-ASEAN EAS participating countries, to work out the issue of financing connectivity projects towards realising the MPAC, and noted that this would include discussion of Australia’s paper on establishing an EAS Connectivity Forum.
  • The Ministers recognised the importance of mobilising financial and technical resources and the promotion of public-private partnership (PPP). In this connection, the Ministers welcomed the theme of the 4th ASEAN Connectivity Symposium entitled "Partnering Private Sector for ASEAN Connectivity” to be held in August 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, with the contribution of the ERIA. The Ministers also welcomed an EAS Regulatory Roundtable to be co-chaired by Thailand and New Zealand, which is aimed at supporting ASEAN’s own objectives with regard to regulatory reform and at sharing best practice in this area. The roundtable will be held back-to-back with Thailand’s initiative to host the Workshop on "Enhancing Connectivity through Multi-layered Regional Frameworks: The Roles of Dialogue Partners” in July 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.
  • The Ministers also welcomed the Statement of ERIA’s 6th Governing Board Meeting issued on 4 May 2013 and its work plan to undertake research and policy recommendations to enhance community-building efforts.
  • The Ministers recognized the necessity of strengthening economic relations among EAS members and underscored the importance of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which would affirm ASEAN centrality in the emerging regional economic architecture and the interests of ASEAN’s FTA partners, and would provide a platform for future trade and investment integration in Asia and the rest of the world. The Ministers recognized that the RCEP complements the interests of EAS in supporting and contributing to economic integration, equitable economic development and strengthening economic cooperation among participating countries, through working towards a comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial agreement.
  • The Ministers recalled the 2012 Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative encouraging EAS countries to cooperate in promoting food security and nutrition. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed food security as an area of focus in the EAS in 2013 and the progress of the work by Senior Officials on an EAS Declaration on Food Security to be adopted by the Leaders at the 8th EAS.
  • The Ministers also adopted the Terms of Reference for an EAS Track II Study Group on Enhancing Food Security through Sustainable Fisheries Management and Marine Environment Conservation and looked forward to the appointment of representatives to the Study Group by September 2013.
  • The Ministers underscored the importance of peace, stability, and maritime security in the region and reiterated the Leaders’ call for regional efforts to enhance cooperation in promoting maritime cooperation. In this regard, the Ministers looked forward to the convening of the 2nd Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), back-to-back with the 4th ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) to be held in the second half of 2013 in Malaysia.
  • The Ministers shared the view on the need to further enhance cooperation on non-traditional security issues, including terrorism, narcotics, and other transnational crimes. The Ministers also strongly supported strengthening of global regime for disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, calling for further elaboration of strict verification mechanism for non-proliferation and disarmament obligation.
  • The Ministers underscored the importance of accelerating the efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in East Asia by 2015. The Ministers will strive to establish an effective and coherent post-2015 development framework centred on sustainable development and guided by human rights and dignity, equality and equity.
  • The Ministers welcomed the convening of the 5th Ministerial Meeting of Gender Quality of East Asia on 15 May 2013 in Beijing, China.
  • The Ministers underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and noted the ASEAN Statement on the Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea. The Ministers stressed the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Ministers welcomed the collective commitments of ASEAN Member States and China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), including the Guidelines for the Implementation of the DOC and to work towards the adoption of a code of conduct in the South China Sea (COC) on the basis of consensus. In this regard, the Ministers appreciated the continued ASEAN-China consultations and dialogue for mutual trust, confidence and cooperation, and the convening of the 8th Meeting of ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the DOC on 29 May 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Ministers were encouraged with the convening of the 6th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the DOC and the 9th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on the implementation of the DOC to be hosted by China in September 2013 during which all parties will have official consultations on the code of conduct. The Ministers noted that steps will be taken to establish an Eminent Persons and Experts Group (EPEG) and/or other mechanisms to provide support to such consultations.
  • The Ministers stressed the need to maintain peace, security and stability in the Korean Peninsula, and encouraged peaceful dialogue including the resumption of the Six Party Talks. The Ministers reiterated the importance of fully complying with the obligations in all relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions, and commitments under the 19 September 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to fully implementing the relevant UNSC Resolutions and their full support for all efforts to bring about the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula and the Peace and Cooperation Initiative proposed by the President of the Republic of Korea. The Ministers also emphasised the importance of addressing issues of humanitarian concerns of the international community.
  • The Ministers also discussed the preparations for the upcoming 8th EAS to be held on 10 October 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
  • The Ministers looked forward to the 4th EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in 2014.


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