Let's begin this morning in Singapore,.. host for this year's ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the East Asian Summit.
On Thursday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in shared his vision for Seoul's role in boosting regional cooperation among Southeast Asian nations.
Hwang Hojun reports.
During the ASEAN+3 summit meeting, President Moon Jae-in affirmed that his vision for East Asian and Southeast Asian countries... is ultimately regional peace and co-prosperity.
The focal point, he said, of ASEAN+3... has been building an East Asian Community.
And as such a community, members must achieve a peace and prosperity that enables all of them to thrive.
To move toward the formation of the East Asian Community, President Moon introduced some important areas of cooperation and the role of South Korea within those.
First, he stressed the need in the region for a stronger crisis response system.
He highlighted the efforts of the ASEAN-plus-three to build a steady cooperative base against threats to financial liquidity and food supplies.
Such efforts include the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization or CMIM,... a multilateral currency swap for supporting dollar liquidity in the event of a financial crisis.
Also, the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve,... which mitigates the impact of natural disasters and major calamities on food security.
He then stressed the significance of innovation and coming up with a unified logistical system for cooperation among the countries in areas such as transportation, energy and ICT.
President Moon also underscored the importance of cultivating human talent through cross-border education, and he insisted that countries must work together to improve the quality of life for all members of the ASEAN community.
During the East Asia Summit as well, which followed the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, President Moon further emphasized the need for cooperation on the global stage in fighting the threats of terrorism, violent extremism, natural disasters and trade protectionism.
He said South Korea will lead the way to a (quote) "people-centered" East Asia that is both peaceful and prosperous.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.