ASEM enlargement plan proves sensitive in the run-up to April summit

Date: 23/10/1997

THE debate over Indian, Australian and even Burmese membership of ASEM, the Europe-Asia forum launched last year, is heating up as officials plan the body's second summit in London next April.

A key meeting of senior officials in Luxembourg next week will discuss the thorny question of ASEM enlargement over lunch - the traditional venue for the handling of politically fraught questions - after reviewing the past 18 months of invigorated EU-Asia ties.

The issue is a highly sensitive one, given the often testy relations between the two regions and also within Asia.

Thailand's decision not to invite India to the inaugural ASEM meeting in Bangkok in spring 1996 infuriated the regional giant, which felt itself marginalised from an important political and economic club.

This time round, pressure is growing from the European Commission and EU governments to include a wider range of Asian states outside the seven South East Asian trade bloc ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea.

But a new member can only be admitted if it is first proposed by the regional bloc it belongs to, and then accepted by all the ASEM members.

Although India does have support from various ASEAN countries, it is far from unreserved and universal, and may not be strong enough to warrant the controversy its inclusion could spark.

Australia and New Zealand stand a fairly good chance of being invited.

Both countries are busy repositioning themselves in international fora as part of the Pacific region and have attracted active but low-key Japanese support for their ASEM bid.

While many ASEAN countries are sympathetic to Canberra's application, Malaysia remains ill-disposed towards the country and is proving difficult to sway. Kuala Lumpur may, however, be willing to accept Australian membership if it receives some kind of pay-off, most likely the inclusion of new ASEAN members Laos and Burma (Myanmar).

Laos' inclusion should be trouble-free. But Burma's candidature is unacceptable to the EU, which expelled the country from its preferential trade regime on human rights grounds in 1996.

The Burmese membership issue muddies the water even further as ASEAN argues that if its new members cannot expect automatic admission to ASEM, neither should new EU members (from central and eastern Europe).

One country's application, at least, appears to trouble no one. Switzerland is almost certain to find its way into ASEM soon, and may be followed by its European Free Trade Area partner Norway.

Given the circumstances, it is highly unlikely that officials will solve the enlargement enigma next week, but they may go some way to establishing official ASEM membership criteria. They will also advance preparations for the new trade facilitation package expected to be a centrepiece of the April summit.