the evolu6on of the APT into an East Asia summit as a
long-term objec6ve
• It was expedited by Malaysia and supported by China
• Ini6ally, there were divisions on the membership of
EAS
• Some would like EAS to be just for APT states while
others would like to include India, Australia and New
Zealand; the lafer preference prevailed eventually
• As a result, the inaugural EAS summit in 2005 was
afended by sixteen countries