The 7th summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began Monday morning in Bandar seri Begawan.

This is the first working summit for ASEAN leaders since they agreed in Singapore last year to remove the distinction between formal and informal summits in favor of ceremonial gatherings.

At the Brunei summit, the ASEAN leaders are expected to address immediate concerns to Southeast Asia such as the twin challenges posed by the global economic downturn and the international fight against terrorism, meeting officials said.

The leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of topics such as responding to longer term challenges, accelerating regional integration and bridging the development gap, considering moving beyond free-trade commitments with far-reaching cooperation in many areas.

The leaders are also scheduled to decide on new priorities for the Hanoi Plan of Action adopted in 1998, a six-year roadmap outlining a vision for ASEAN, which is subject to a mid-term review this year.

The ASEAN summit will be followed by the 5th leadership meeting of ASEAN plus three (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) and the meetings between leaders of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, respectively.

Leaders of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are expected to discuss the global economic downturn and closer East Asian partnership.

The first "ASEAN plus three" leadership meeting was held in 1997 followed by separate "ASEAN plus one" meetings with the leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Founded in 1967, ASEAN now groups all 10 southeast Asian nations -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(People's Daily November 5,2001)