Senior officials from ten ASEAN countries and partners gathered in Kuala Lumpur on August 3 for the ASEAN + 3 Officials Meeting (SOM ASEAN+3) and the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting (SOM EAS).
The events were part of the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 48) and related meetings.
At the SOM ASEAN+3, the bloc’s senior officials together with those from three partners – China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) reviewed the outcomes of the implementation of the ASEAN+3 Cooperation Work Plan from 2013-2017 and the reports of the East Asia Vision Group II (EAVG II) towards releasing a cooperative ASEAN +3 cooperation in the near future.
Senior officials also discussed the implementation results of cooperation projects within the ASEAN + 3 framework focused on economic affiliation, trade and financing and monetary issues.
Additionally, the ASEAN +3 is currently negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to create a large free trade market as well as improve the Asia Bond Market Initiative.
Meanwhile, the EAS SOM meeting, which gathered senior officials from ASEAN countries and Australia, China, India, Japan, the RoK, New Zealand, Russia and the US, reviewed the results of cooperation in East Asia towards the 10th anniversary of the East Asia Summit mechanism, focusing on priority areas such as finance, energy, education, natural disasters and epidemics.
On the same day, the Mekong-Japan Senior Officials Meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, focusing on the agenda for the 8th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting.
At the meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission, ASEAN foreign ministers stressed the commitment to continue implementing the Plan of Action to strengthen the SEANWFZ from 2014-2015.
The 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM 48) officially opens on August 4.
VNA
