India's exclusion was geographical: China

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, NOV. 25. China today excluded India's participation in the ``ASEAN+3'' or ``ASEAN+1'' processes saying these covered the ``geographical scope'' of East Asia.

Asked about the ASEAN decision to keep India out, the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi, said the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, had stated the 13 countries (10 countries of the Association of South-east Asian Nations plus China, Japan and South Korea) should strengthen cooperation among themselves. India, Mr. Wang said, had close economic and trade relations with these three countries and they were prepared to deepen cooperation with it.

No agreement had been reached on holding an East Asian summit, a point reiterated by Mr. Goh as well today.

Mr. Wang said the idea was put forward by the Singapore Prime Minister at the end of the ASEAN+3 summit yesterday but there was no discussion. Even the constitution of an East Asian Study Group, for considering the issue further, had not been finalised.

In his speech to the ASEAN+China meeting this morning, Mr. Zhu sketched the larger strategic direction of Beijing's engagement with Asian countries.

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