China may miss 14th ASEAN summit in Bangkok

Jan 7, 2009, 2:19 GMT

   Bangkok - China will not attend the upcoming 14th summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) if it is held on February 27 to March 1, as tentatively planned, officials said Wednesday.

   Thailand was initially scheduled to host the 14th ASEAN Summit in mid-December 2008, but had to postpone the regional meeting indefinitely because of political chaos at home that had led to the closure of Bangkok's two airports from November 26 to December 3.

   Bangkok has proposed several new dates for the summit, with the latest being set for February 27 to March 1.

   'Most of the dates China could accommodate, but the it happens that the last date of February 27 to March 1, China has another important prior engagement,' said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.

   China will be busy with its National Congress in late February and early March.

   Although China is not a member of ASEAN, it has come to play a leading role at recent summits as international attention shifted away from South-East Asia towards China as an upcoming economic and political powerhouse.

   China, along with Japan and South Korea, has attended past ASEAN summits to participate in ASEAN-Plus 3 summits on the sidelines of the regional gathering.

Tharit said the final date for the 14th summit will be announced this week.

   'There is a proposal that we might go ahead with the ASEAN summit with the ten members and then hold the ASEAN-Plus 3 summit at a later date,' he said.

   ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

   The 14th summit is expected to concentrate on the economic challenges posed to the region by the US financial meltdown and resulting recessions in the US, Europe and Japan - the three main markets for Asia's exports and services.