New alliance shaky

last updated 8 January 2015

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

An attempt to create a new grouping of Asia-Pacific nations without the U.S. got off to an uncertain start this week. The first East Asian summit, held in Kuala Lumpur, was originally conceived as a forum for China to cooperate economically and militarily with the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus Japan and South Korea. But several countries insisted on adding Australia, New Zealand, and India—a change that gave U.S.–friendly governments more support. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the whole project was now pointless, since Australia is virtually Washington’s “deputy sheriff.” Australian Prime Minister John Howard sniped that Mahathir was being “puerile.”