CeBu CeBoom CeBlog

THANK YOU.
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Pres. Arroyo ended the summit with a presscon at the main briefing room of CICC at 2:30pm. The press conference was conducted earlier than its scheduled time.

Pres. Arroyo thanked the leaders of the Asia-Pacific region for attending the 12th ASEAN Summit and the related summits, which the Philippines succefully hosted here from Jan. 10-15. She also thanked the leaders for the honor they have bestowed on the Philippines and for working in unity in establishing a one caring and sharing community in the region.

The President, who chaired all the meetings, said that the summit made the Filipinos proud as they emerged triumphant after the gatherings that produced several documents with far-reaching benefits for the peoples in the region.

” The peoples of Asia are the victors in these summits as we march forward in the collective spirit of hope within this century,” the President said.

Aside from the 12th ASEAN Summit, which was attended by the 10 member countries of ASEAN, the President also presided over the summits of leaders of ASEAn and its dialogue partners, Australia, China, Japan, India, Republic of Korea and New Zealand. The President also chaired the ASEAN lous 3 summit and the 2nd East Asia summit.

The President said that the fact the leaders of 17 countries were in Cebu City for the summits ” a testament to the desire of leaders and their peoples for greater collaboration among nations” in the region.

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Aside from President Arroyo, those who attended the summits from the ASEAN were Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen of Cambodia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, PM Ge. Soe Win of Myanamr, PM Lee Hsien Long of Singapore, PM Surayud Chulanont of Thailand, and PM Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam.

From the dialogue partners, those who attended were PM John Howard of Australia, Premier Wen Jiabao of China, PM Manmohan Singh of India, PM Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Roh Moo-Hyun of the republic of Korea and PM Helen Clark of New Zealand.

The signing for the Cebu Declaration of Energy Security by the ASEAN State Leaders.
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Prime Minister of Timor Leste, Jose ramos Horta came to personally sign the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and cooperations in Southeast Asia, the first step before his young country becomes a full pledge member of the regional grouping.

According to the President, during the summits, the leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners broadened trade, tourism, energy security and political integration “at peace and scale never seen before.”

Prime Minister John Howard of Australia talks side by side with Pres. Arroyo at the Lobby Area of CICC Hall.

Prime Minister Nyuyen Tan Dung of Vietnam said goodbye to Pres. Arroyo as he left CICC during the last day of the summit.
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She said that the end result of all these initiatives would be “more prosperous and safe communities, a region of peace and stability, and a world of goodwill and friendship of all creeds, colors adn culture.” (Press Release)

A smile of success!
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The visiting head of states went ahead to President Arroyo to the Mactan International Airport after the signing Ceremony for the Cebu Declaration on Energy Security.

Aviation India: India, Asean to strengthen air ties

India and the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) today agreed to commence a discussion on an “open skies” aviation policy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced this at the fifth India-Asean summit here today. No timeline or basic framework for the proposed policy, that envisages opening up mutual airspace for unrestricted civilian air traffic, has been set at the moment.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had proposed an “open skies” policy with Asean at the second India-Asean summit in 2003.

The Daily Star - Business Articles - East Asian leaders agree to set goals for energy efficiency

Leaders of 16 Asian nations agreed Monday to set individual goals and formulate action plans voluntarily to improve energy efficiency as part of efforts to promote energy conservation and achieve sustainable economic growth in East Asia.

Leaders at the half-day East Asia Summit in the Philippine resort of Cebu adopted the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security, which commits the member nations to take specific measures for energy efficiency in view of concerns that energy needs will grow substantially in the region in line with strong economic growth, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported.

Viet Nam News

Viet Nam welcomes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) decision to intensify co-operation and speed up regional integration to keep up with global developments, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Addressing the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines on Saturday, the Vietnamese Prime Minister emphasised the importance of building the ASEAN Charter for the bloc’s future development.

Channelnewsasia.com

CEBU, Philippines : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a two billion dollar aid package to help Asian nations develop energy-saving technology and ease the region’s dependence on oil.

Abe unveiled the offer at a one-day summit of Asian leaders aimed at improving energy security and looking at alternatives to costly fossil fuels, including nuclear power and biofuels.

The Brunei Times

THE Brunei business community feels that the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the expansion of air links among the BIMP-EAGA countries will give a new boost to the Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA).

Welcoming the Open-Skies pact, Dato Seri Paduka Utama Osman Omar, the country director of the BIMP-EAGA Business Council Brunei Chapter, said the agreement has opened many routes for the RBA, which can go a long way in increasing tourism, business and employment opportunities in the country.

Asian Leaders Agree to Promote Biofuels - washingtonpost.com

Asian and Pacific leaders signed an agreement Monday to help reduce their dependence on conventional sources of energy and promote the use of biofuels.

The Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security was signed by leaders from Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, China and South Korea after a three-hour summit in the central Philippine city of Cebu.

Business Times

Asia’s largest economies will start planning a free trade zone that would rival the US and the European Union, after overcoming China’s reluctance to include India and Australia.

Leaders of 16 nations endorsed the plan for a trade zone stretching from India to New Zealand in a meeting in Cebu, the Philippines.

The proposal may ultimately lead to lower tariffs and increased trade in a region with a combined economic output of US$9 trillion (US$1 = RM3.51) that is home to almost half the world’s population. It’s the first time Asian nations agreed on an integration similar to the creation of the European Union (EU).

Japan and China cement their friendship | The World | The Australian

ASIA’S two biggest powers, China and Japan, took a major step towards completing the thaw in their relations through the East Asia Summit process.
The second annual summit, which concluded yesterday in Cebu, in the central Philippines, was the occasion for a series of other important meetings, including hour-long talks between China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, and Japan’s new Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

As a result, Mr Wen is to make the first visit by a Chinese leader to Japan in six years in April and Mr Abe - who flew to Beijing for his first overseas trip after becoming Prime Minister last September - is to return to China later this year.