Australia And New Zealand Locked Out Of New 'Asian Union' On Orders Of China

MOLLY BALL
Your New Reality
Tuesday November 20, 2007

We're rapidly moving towards a future where vast sections of the world are united in unions, for the benefits of easier trade and securing future energies supplies, primarily.

The European Union has been a reality since the 1950s, the US-Canada-Mexico will likely meld into the North American Union in the next decade (unless they have a civil war, or major uprising) and it is likely we'll soon see a 'Caspian Sea' Union of numerous 'Stans that border the Caspian Sea, or benefit from its energy resources (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, etc), along with a larger China-Russia-Iran alliance, though perhaps no official Union as such.

For now, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are moving forward with their new Union and hope to have the deals signed and sealed by 2015. The new Asian 'community' sounds like it be partly controlled by China, with India begging to be included.

Lots of details in this story from Bloomberg :

The 10 members of the group adopted an Asean Economic Community Blueprint that also promises investors better dispute- settlement mechanisms and more transparent and consistent rules.

Member nations say integration, styled after the EU without a common currency or passport-free travel, is essential for the group as it competes with China and India for exports and investments. The Asean countries have a combined gross domestic product of over $1.03 trillion and a population of about 570 million.

Australia and New Zealand were locked out of the 'Asian Union' on the orders of China, apparently:

China, Japan and South Korea agreed to work with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to open up regional trade, dropping a plan to include India, Australia and New Zealand.

Leaders from the 13 nations said the so-called Asean Plus Three group ``would remain the main vehicle toward the long- term goal of building'' an Asian regional community, according to a statement released after a meeting today. The document makes no mention of the other three nations that will also attend tomorrow's East Asia Summit in Singapore.

Asean secretary general Ong Keng Yong earlier this year insisted that India, Australia and New Zealand would be included in plans to establish a free-trade zone covering all 16 nations who participate in the East Asia Summit. Today's statement recognizes China's demand that only Asean Plus Three countries should be included in the community.

"The Chinese refuse to accept the other three guys,'' Ong said in an interview today. "They have always maintained that the East Asia community is 13 countries.''

China really is starting to rule the world.