Summary of the ASEAN+1 (Japan) Summit Meeting
25 November 2000
On 25 November the Japan-ASEAN Summit was held from 10:40 until 11:50. The main points of the meeting as follows:
1. Following an opening statement by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of the Republic of Singapore, Prime Minister Mori commended the Final Report with Recommendations of "Toward Vision 2020: ASEAN-Japan Consultation Conference on the Hanoi Plan of Action" (the Japan-ASEAN Eminent Persons Group) as a report which gives an ideal picture of Japan-ASEAN relations in the 21st century, and emphasized the importance of the "New Japan-ASEAN Partnership." Responding to the positive comments of other ASEAN leaders to the Final Report, Prime Minister Mori proposed the establishment of a taskforce to followup the recommendations at a working level.
2. Based on the recommendations of the Eminent Persons Group, Prime Minister Mori proposed cooperation in the following areas so that Japan and ASEAN cooperate more actively to contribute to the construction of the international order:
(1) Information Communication Technology (IT): Prime Minister Mori announced Japan's intention to implement the US$15 billion Comprehensive Cooperative Package giving an important priority to ASEAN. (ASEAN appreciated this effort, and requested assistance for infrastructure development and human resources development among others, in order to bridge the "digital divide.")
(2) World Trade Organization (WTO): Prime Minister Mori stated the importance of strengthening cooperation with ASEAN for the early launch of a new round and for the setting of the agenda reflecting concerns of all WTO member states. (ASEAN agreed to the importance of the setting of the agenda.)
(3) United Nations (UN) Reform: Prime Minister Mori called for cooperation for the early realization of United Nations reform, including Security Council reform. (ASEAN agreed, and many countries stated their support for Japan to become a permanent member of the Security Council.)
3. Furthermore, with a view to further solidifying Japan-ASEAN relations, Prime Minister Mori announced the following specific cooperative measures, which were welcomed by the ASEAN leaders:
(1) Announcement of a new scholarship program for ASEAN senior high school students, which aims at developing human resources with manufacturing capacity and promoting further mutual understanding between Japan and ASEAN.
(2) Prime Minister Mori also announced Japan's will to cooperate for the economic integration of ASEAN, such as AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area), in order to promote trade and investment between Japan and ASEAN, and its intention to make every effort to implement projects such as strengthening IT of ASEAN Promotion Centers on Trade, Investment, and Tourism.
4. ASEAN leaders uniformly appreciated assistance by Japan, especially assistance in the wake of the financial crisis, and some countries expressed their strong hopes for the continuation of Japanese ODA. Furthermore, some countries also expressed expectations towards Japan's role in human resources development, IT cooperation, measures to combat piracy, and Mekong river basin development.
5. Finally, Prime Minister Goh received support from all the ASEAN leaders for his proposal to name Prime Minister Mori's IT cooperation initiatives--especially the US$ 15 billion Comprehensive Cooperation Package--"Mori e-Action." Past initiatives taken by Japan towards ASEAN have been named after the Prime Minister of that time, such as the Fukuda Doctrine, Miyazawa Initiative, and Obuchi Plan.
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