The East Asia Summit (EAS) is the Indo-Pacific's premier forum for strategic dialogue. It is the only leader-led forum at which all key Indo-Pacific partners meet to discuss political, security and economic challenges facing the region, and has an important role to play in advancing closer regional cooperation. Australia participated, as a founding member, in the inaugural EAS held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005.

The EAS has 18 members - the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. ASEAN leads the forum, and the chair position rotates between ASEAN Member States annually.

Lao PDR handed over ASEAN Chair responsibilities to Malaysia in October 2024, following the ASEAN Summits. Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chair year theme is ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’ and 2025 will mark the 20th anniversary of the EAS.

In 2023, EAS members represented approximately 53 per cent of the world's population and accounted for approximately 60 per cent of global GDP. The EAS includes eight of Australia's top 10 trading partners. In 2023, Australia's two-way trade with EAS countries was worth $884 billion, 72.4 per cent of total two-way trade.

EAS Meetings and Processes

The EAS calendar culminates in the annual Leaders' Summit, which is usually held alongside ASEAN Leaders' meetings. In addition to their discussions, leaders typically issue joint statements on topical issues, to signal political will for framing policy responses and to provide a basis for cooperation.

In addition to the Leaders' Summit, meetings of EAS Foreign Ministers and Economic Ministers are held annually. These also serve as platforms for frank discussion of political, regional security, and economic issues and prepare for the Leaders' Summit, including by developing statements on areas of cooperation and mutual understanding. Meetings of the EAS Environment, Energy, and Education Ministers are also held regularly.

EAS Senior Officials' Meetings (SOM) and meetings of EAS Ambassadors to ASEAN are held regularly to discuss emerging issues, to prepare for EAS ministerial and Leaders’ meetings, and to take forward decisions by EAS leaders.

A dedicated EAS Unit within the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta supports the monitoring and implementation of decisions by EAS leaders.

Recent activities in the EAS

East Asia Summit 2024

The 19th EAS was held on 11 October 2024 in Vientiane, chaired by Lao PDR. EAS leaders reinforced their support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and discussed strategic issues including the crisis in Myanmar, destabilising activities in the South China Sea, conflict in the Middle East, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula.

EAS Economic Ministers’ Meetings 2024

The 12th EAS Economic Ministers' Meeting was held in Vientiane, Laos on 21 September 2024, chaired by Lao PDR. Economic Ministers restated the importance of ASEAN centrality in enhancing regional economic connectivity and resilience. EAS Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the multilateral rules-based trading system, with World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. Australia and several other members registered concerns regarding the regional economic impacts of the crisis in Myanmar and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting 2024

The 14th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held on 27 July 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and discussed strategic challenges facing the region, including the worsening crisis in Myanmar, maritime security and the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula, Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, and the Hamas-Israel conflict.

East Asia Summit documents 2024

• Chair’s Statement of the 19th East Asia Summit
• Chair’s Statement of the 18th EAS Energy Ministers’ Meeting
• ASEAN Media Statement of the 12th EAS Economic Ministers’ Meeting
• Joint Statement of the 7th EAS Education Ministers' Meeting [PDF]
• Chair's Statement of the 14th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting [PDF]

East Asia Summit documents 2023

• Chair's Statement of the 18th East Asia Summit, 7 September 2023 [PDF]
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Maintaining and Promoting the Region as an Epicentrum of Growth [PDF]
• Chair's Statement of the 13th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting [PDF]
• The East Asia Summit Plan of Action (2024-2028) [PDF]
• Chair's Statement of the 11th EAS Economic Ministers' Meeting
• Chair's Statement on the 17th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting

East Asia Summit documents 2022

• Chair’s Statement of the 17th East Asia Summit, 13 November 2022 [PDF]
• Chair’s Statement of the 17th East Asia Summit on advancing women’s economic empowerment, strengthening energy cooperation for a comprehensive post-covid-19 recovery, and promoting volunteerism for sustainable development [PDF]
• Joint Statement of the 6th East Asia Summit Education Ministers’ Meeting 12 October [PDF]
• ASEAN Media Statement on the 10th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting, 17 September 2022 [PDF]
• Joint Ministerial Statement of the 16th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting, 16 September 2022 [PDF]
• Chair’s Statement of the 12th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 5 August 2022 [PDF]

East Asia Summit documents 2021

• Chair’s Statement of the 16th East Asia Summit, 27 October 2021
• EAS Leaders’ Statement on Sustainable Recovery
• EAS Leaders’ Statement on Mental Health Cooperation
• EAS Leaders’ Statement on Economic Growth Through Tourism Recovery
• Chair’s Statement of the 11th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 4 August 2021
• Joint media statement of the 9th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers' Meeting, 15 September 2021

East Asia Summit documents 2020

• Chair's Statement on 15th East Asia Summit, 15 November 2020
• Ha Noi Declaration on the Fifteenth Anniversary of the East Asia Summit
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Cooperation to Promote Steady Growth of Regional Economy
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Women, Peace and Security
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Strengthening Collective Capacity in Epidemics Prevention and Response
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Marine Sustainability
• Chair's Statement on 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, 9 September 2020
• Joint media statement of the 8th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers' Meeting, 28 August 2020

East Asia Summit documents 2019

• Chair's Statement on 14th East Asia Summit, 4 November 2019
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Cooperation to Combat Transnational Crime
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Partnership for Sustainability
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Combating the Spread of Illicit Drugs
• Joint media statement of the 7th EAS Economic Ministers' Meeting, Thailand, 10 September 2019
• Chair's Statement of the 9th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Thailand, 2 August 2019

East Asia Summit documents 2018

• Chair's Statement on the 13th East Asia Summit, 15 November 2018
• EAS Leaders' Statement on ASEAN Smart Cities
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Combatting Marine Plastic Debris
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Counter the Threat of Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Returnees
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Deepening Cooperation in the Security of ICT and of the Digital Economy
• EAS Leaders' Statement on the Safe and Secure Use, Storage, and Transport of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Materials
• Joint media statement of the 6th EAS Economic Ministers' Meeting, Singapore, 1 September 2018
• Chair's Statement of the 8th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, 4 August 2018, Singapore

East Asia Summit documents 2017

• Chair's Statement of the 12th East Asia Summit, 14 November 2017
• EAS Leaders' Declaration on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, 14 November 2017
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Cooperation in Poverty Alleviation, 14 November 2017
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Countering Ideological Challenges of Terrorism and Terrorist Narratives and Propaganda, 14 November 2017
• EAS Leaders' Statement on Chemical Weapons, 14 November 2017
• Manila Plan of Action to Implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on the EAS Development Initiative and EAS areas of Cooperation (MPOA) [PDF]