Today, the presence in Kuala Lumpur of a rising China and resurgent India and the absence of the United States, which has played the role of an Asia-Pacific hegemon since the end of the World War II, suggest we are on the cusp of a new era.
The inaugural East Asian summit (EAS) comes on the heals of ASEAN’s 11th summit on Monday, also in Kuala Lumpur. It occurs as East Asia demonstrates a new vitality following its recovery from the trauma of the Asian financial meltdown and subsequent economic crisis in 1997-98 while the US is distracted by its commitment in Iraq.