India used the occasion of the fourth East Asia Summit on Oct. 25 to wade into the debate on Asian integration, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling for an Asian Regional Trade agreement as a pivotal step towards the integration of the region into a broader “Asian Economic Community [AEC].” In a statement to the EAS leaders’ retreat session, Dr. Singh described the launching of the EAS process in 2005 as “an act of foresight” because the world’s eyes were now focused on Asia as the regi ...
