The East Asia Summit (EAS) is an annual, leaders-led regional forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security, and economic issues facing the Indo-Pacific region, established in 2005. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 14, 2005. The EAS was created to provide a platform for dialogue on broad strategic issues with the aim of promoting peace, stability, and economic prosperity in East Asia, building on the earlier ASEAN Plus Three mechanism.
The EAS is an institution that sits at the apex of the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holding the central role and leadership. The forum operates by consensus and produces non-binding Chairman's Statements and thematic declarations, rather than treaty instruments. The annual Leaders' Summit is held back-to-back with the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings, and the chair rotates annually among the ASEAN member states. Key cooperation areas include environment and energy, finance, global health, disaster management, and ASEAN connectivity. The EAS also addresses sensitive strategic issues like the South China Sea disputes and the Myanmar political crisis.
The initial membership comprised 16 countries: the ten ASEAN members plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. Membership expanded to 18 countries with the inclusion of Russia and the United States at the Sixth EAS in 2011. A recent change is the expansion to 19 members following Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN on October 26, 2025. The EAS Plan of Action (2024-2028) replaced the previous Manila Plan of Action (2018-2022), which was extended until December 2023, and reaffirms commitment to the Bali Principles (Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations). India, a founding member, actively participates and supports the forum's activities, such as hosting the EAS conference on maritime security cooperation in Kochi.