III. Community Building
East Asian cooperation started from pragmatic need without a
well-designed political goal, and to some extent, even without consensus
building. Economic cooperation and integration provides a
fundamental stake for East Asian regionalism.
Great diversity within the region is a key factor that needs to be
addressed. EAC has to respect the differences while seeking for
harmony, which means that it should not be setting up common
11 values or principles for adoption by all members.