The 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) was convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2025, at a time when the region and the world were confronting geopolitical tensions and conflicts, economic challenges, and current and emerging security and other transboundary challenges that require collective collaboration for peace as well as social and economic progress.
The summit coincided with the 20th anniversary of the EAS, providing an important opportunity to reflect on its progress and achievements over the past two decades, while also charting pathways for strengthening cooperation in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. The leaders of the participating countries reaffirmed their commitment to the EAS as a leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political, and economic issues of common interest and concern, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the centre of the regional architecture.
Evolution and Contemporary Relevance of the East Asia Summit
The EAS was established on the foundations laid by the 2005 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the EAS, which set out its broad vision, principles, objectives, and modalities. The EAS has 19 members: the 11 ASEAN countries—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam—along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the US. Timor-Leste became a member of the EAS following its ASEAN accession on October 26, 2025.
Over the years, the summit has been guided by milestone declarations, including the 2010 Ha Noi Declaration on the Commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the EAS and the 2020 Ha Noi Declaration on the 15th anniversary of the EAS. The 20th anniversary reaffirmed the collective commitment of participating countries to these foundational documents.
The leaders recognised that the EAS has made substantial progress in addressing common challenges and fostering economic prosperity, while maintaining its informal nature to allow for interactive discussions and candid deliberations among leaders. The summit has continued to serve as a key and meaningful avenue for dialogue towards bridging differences, promoting trust and confidence-building measures, and advancing constructive diplomacy that enhances regional cooperation and mutual understanding.
Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the 20th Anniversary of the East Asia Summit
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EAS, the participating countries adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration. The declaration reaffirmed commitment to the purposes and principles reflected in the Charter of the UN, the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the 2005 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the EAS, and the 2011 Declaration of the EAS on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations. It reaffirmed ASEAN as the driving force within the EAS, working in close partnership with other participating countries to promote strategic trust and ensure transparent, predictable, and responsible behaviour.
The declaration recognised the respective and complementary roles of the EAS foreign ministers in providing policy guidance, the EAS senior officials in ensuring policy coordination and follow-up, the Group of EAS Ambassadors in Jakarta in facilitating ongoing engagement and dialogue, and the EAS Unit in the ASEAN Secretariat in providing institutional support and continuity. It reaffirmed the EAS’s strong commitment to multilateralism based on international law, including the Charter of the UN, and emphasised the importance of settlement of differences and disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law.
The declaration also highlighted the need to enhance economic cooperation among participating countries to ensure regional resilience against economic challenges and to narrow development gaps in the region.
Strategic, Political, and Economic Context
The discussions at the 20th EAS reflected the complex global and regional environment. Leaders acknowledged growing concerns about the reliability of supply chains and access to markets, the increasingly competitive nature of technology advancement, and the intensified quest for natural resources. Energy trade was recognised as increasingly constricted, leading to market distortions, while the selective application of principles and norms was identified as a challenge to equitable global economic engagement. The summit further noted that ongoing conflicts have significant repercussions, undermining food security, threatening energy flows, and disrupting trade.
The leaders underscored that change is an inherent feature of the international system and that the world would inevitably respond to new circumstances through adjustments, fresh understandings, and resilient solutions. The realities of technology, competitiveness, market size, digitisation, connectivity, talent, and mobility were highlighted as factors that could not be ignored in shaping future cooperation. The summit recognised that multipolarity is not only here to stay but is expected to grow, necessitating serious global conversations.
Cooperation on Social Protection
The 20th EAS recognised the importance of advancing the social protection in its agenda and beyond, as a basic human right. Leaders emphasised that for social protection to have a greater impact on the lives of people, it must be inclusive, sustainable, future-proof, and adaptive to different risks and vulnerabilities arising from changes in the economy and labour markets, the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, ageing-related challenges, and economic crises across participating countries. Cross-sectoral cooperation from social welfare, health, labour, finance, food, agriculture, disaster management, energy, and environment sectors was identified as crucial for effective implementation.
The summit welcomed opportunities for cooperation on strengthening social protection systems, particularly those addressing the needs of the most vulnerable sectors. Building evidence, facilitating knowledge exchange, and sharing good practices were highlighted as important elements in supporting the implementation of the Regional Framework and Action Plan to implement the ASEAN Declaration of Strengthening Social Protection and the ASEAN Guidelines on Disaster-Responsive Social Protection.
Food Security and Agriculture
Food security emerged as a key area of concern and cooperation at the summit. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the implementation of the 2013 EAS Declaration of Food Security and stressed the need to further enhance food and nutrition security. Support was expressed for the implementation of the Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectoral Plan for 2026–30 and the Action Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN. The summit also supported the implementation of the 2023 ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises with an emphasis on taking practical and concrete measures to strengthen local, regional, and global food supply chains and logistics systems.
The leaders recognised the importance of improving resilience against climate change and supported cooperation on resilient regional rice and staple food supply. Strengthening food security was viewed as integral to ensuring regional stability and sustainable development in the face of global uncertainties.
Maritime Cooperation and Regional Stability
Maritime cooperation featured prominently in the deliberations of the 20th EAS. Leaders expressed support for strengthening maritime cooperation among participating countries to respond to maritime challenges and promote the sustainable development of the seas and oceans, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They encouraged cooperation as reflected in key regional documents, including the 2015 EAS statement on Enhancing Regional Maritime Cooperation, the 2020 EAS Leaders’ Statement on Maritime Sustainability, the Bali Principles, and the 2023 EAS Leaders’ Statement on Maintaining and Promoting the Region as an Epicentrum of Growth.
The importance of maintaining and further strengthening stability in the maritime domain was underlined, along with upholding freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea. The summit welcomed the ASEAN Maritime Outlook as a practical reference for understanding maritime trends and challenges and promoting maritime cooperation. The cross-cutting nature of maritime cooperation was recognised through activities, such as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific Seminar Series and Submarine Cables held in Jakarta in February 2025.
The leaders also noted that past editions of EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation hosted by India and looked forward to its seventh edition, as well as the organisation of the EAS Maritime Heritage Festival in Lothal, Gujarat, India.
Tourism, Culture, and People-to-People Connectivity
Tourism was recognised as a key driver of economic growth, employment, and social benefits for local communities. The summit commended the efforts of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations in implementing measures guided by the post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan for ASEAN Tourism and the updated ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016–25. Leaders encouraged the implementation of EAS Leaders’ Statement on Economic Growth through Tourism Recovery adopted in 2021 and supported the Action Roadmap for sustainable Tourism Development in ASEAN endorsed in 2024.
The role of culture and arts in promoting awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage was also highlighted. The work of the ASEAN committee on Culture and Information and the Senior Officials Meeting on Culture and Arts was acknowledged, along with the contribution of culture and creative industries to social, economic, human, and sustainable development. Diversity and the right to enjoy and benefit from culture were recognised as important elements in strengthening regional cooperation.
Advancement and Empowerment of Women and Youth
The 20th EAS expressed support for strengthening cooperation towards the advancement and empowerment of women and youth participation through ASEAN mechanisms, including the ASEAN Committee on Women, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Youth, and the Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development. Leaders emphasised the importance of women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship as key drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth.
The summit underscored the need to advance the care economy agenda, encompassing both paid and unpaid care work, in addressing persistent gender gaps and fostering resilient and equitable economies. Child protection in the digital space was also prioritised, with support expressed for accelerating the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action for the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse. The leaders reaffirmed commitment to preventing and eliminating the worst forms of child labour, guided by the ASEAN Roadmap on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Regional and International Issues
The summit provided a platform for exchanging views on regional and international issues, including developments in the South China Sea, the situation in Ukraine, the conflict in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, the situation in the Korean Peninsula, and the crisis in Myanmar. Leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding international law, including the UN Charter and relevant UNGA and Security Council resolutions. The importance of trust, confidence-building, and collective responsibility in achieving lasting peace and stability was emphasised.
India at the 20th East Asia Summit
India participated actively in the 20th EAS and reaffirmed its full support for the activities of the EAS and its future directions. India welcomed Timor-Leste to the forum and conveyed the greetings of its leadership on the occasion of the summit’s 20th anniversary. India highlighted the complex global environment, drawing attention to growing concerns about supply chains, access to markets, competitive technology advancement, constrained energy trade, and selective application of principles.
India emphasised that ongoing conflicts have significant repercussions on food security energy flows and trade and underscored the need for zero tolerance towards terrorism. India asserted that the right to defence against terrorism could never be compromised. India welcomed efforts aimed at peace, including initiatives related to Gaza Peace Plan and Ukraine and reiterated its commitment to constructive diplomacy.
India underlined its strong commitment to maritime cooperation in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the shared commitment to the 1982 UNCLOS. It announced that 2026 would be observed as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation and noted the growing participation in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. India proposed the organisation of an EAS Maritime Heritage Festival in the ancient port of Lothal in Gujarat and expressed intention to host the seventh EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation.
India also highlighted its role as a first responder during the March 2025 earthquake in Myanmar and noted the progress of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project. Concerns were shared regarding cyber scam centres in the region that have entrapped nationals, underscoring the need for regional cooperation in addressing emerging security challenges. India reiterated its appreciation of the EAS’s contribution and expressed confidence in the positive outcomes of the Summit.
Moving forward
The 20th EAS marked a significant milestone in the evolution of the forum, reaffirming its relevance and centrality in the regional architecture at a time of profound global change. Through the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration and a wide-ranging agenda—covering social protection, food security, maritime cooperation, tourism, culture, gender equality, and regional security—the summit reinforced its commitment to collective collaboration. With ASEAN as its core and active participation from all members, the EAS continues to serve as a vital platform for dialogue, cooperation and confidence-building in East Asia and beyond, as it looks ahead to its third decade and the convening of the 21st EAS in the Philippines in 2026.
About the East Asia Summit
The EAS is a leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on board strategic, political, and economic issues of common interest and concern. Sitting at the apex of the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, it brings together ASEAN Member States and key partners to promote prosperity in East Asia. The summit operates on the basis of principles of equality, partnership, consultation and mutual respect, and retains an informal character to facilitate candid discussions among leaders.
The EAS is supported by a network of institutional mechanisms, including the EAS Foreign Ministers, Senior Officials, the Group of the EAS Ambassadors in Jakarta and the EAS Unit in the ASEAN Secretariat. Its activities are guided by the EAS Plan of Action 2024–28 and aligned with ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, which guides ASEAN Community-building and its cooperation with partners in the next 20 years.
© Spectrum Books Pvt Ltd.
