The third East Asia Summit (EAS) opened today in Singapore, back-to-back with the 13th the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) Summit and other related Summits.

The third EAS was participated by heads of state or government of the ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

Climate change, energy, health and the environment are priority issues to be discussed during the third EAS.

The East Asia Summit is a pan-Asia forum to be held annually by the ASEAN member countries and participated by the leaders of 16 countries in East Asia and the region, with ASEAN in a leadership position.

After its inaugural in 2005, the EAS has served as a forum for dialogue on broad strategic issues of relevance to East Asia as well as other regional and global issues, with the focus on regional and international issues of common interest and concern such as international terrorism, energy, infectious diseases, sustainable development, poverty reduction and others.

The first EAS was inaugurated on Dec. 14, 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and subsequent meetings were held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings.

The historic decision for the ASEAN to host the EAS was taken by the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, Republic of Korea) Summit, in Vientiane, Laos, in November 2004.

ASEAN, established in 1967, groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

ASEAN believes that it should be in the driver's seat in the EAS and that the EAS will be open and outward looking.

At the end of the third EAS, the leaders will sign the Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment.