12 - The East Asia Summit: New Zealand's Role in the Balancing Act

Summary

On 11 April 2005, the ASEAN foreign ministers gathered in Cebu, the Philippines, to discuss Indonesia's proposal for an “inclusive” East Asia Summit. They agreed that the East Asia Summit be held in Malaysia in December 2005, and that other countries be invited in order not to replicate the ASEAN+3 summit.

Three conditions for inviting other countries were formally agreed upon in the 28th ASEAN Ministers Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, in July 2005. The first was that any invited country should be a full ASEAN dialogue partner. Second, it should have substantive relations with ASEAN, including trade and economic relations. Third, it should be willing to accede to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia indicated from the beginning that the proposed East Asia Summit be attended by three of ASEAN's dialogue partners: India, Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand has had bilateral relations with Indonesia since 1974 and has since provided development assistance. At an ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue in Wellington in September 2004, Indonesia urged New Zealand to accede to TAC. New Zealand was asked to contribute to the security in the region, both in the context of ASEAN, as well as Asia as a whole. Furthermore, Indonesia argued, the spirit of TAC shared similarities with New Zealand's foreign policy, that is, the peaceful resolution of inter-state conflicts in the region.

Conversely, New Zealand's foreign policy did indeed take a comprehensive view of security. It recognized the importance of economic, social and environmental factors, as well as the need for non-military intervention in finding lasting solutions to international and regional conflicts. As such, its policy emphasis on strengthening cooperation and seeking consensus overlapped with ASEAN's thinking and practice in diplomacy. New Zealand's participation would also allow it to be part of the evolving regional views on security, political and economic developments.