http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3512038a11,00.html
Dan Eaton
"New Zealand and Australia will never truly be part of Asia, despite their membership of a new East Asian regional grouping, Malaysia's Prime Minister says. Speaking at the end of the inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS) of 16 nations, including the antipodeans, host Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday New Zealand and Australia had been included because of 'common interests'.
'If you talk about a community of East Asians, I don't know how the Australians would regard themselves as East Asians, or the New Zealanders for that matter,' he said.
'But we are not talking about members of the community. We are talking about common interests,' Badawi said.
'We want to see peace, stability, prosperity and (if) our friends are willing to help contribute through the EAS then certainly they will be welcome.'
The comments are the strongest indication yet that Australia and New Zealand risk becoming second-tier citizens of any new community, a concept that Prime Minister Helen Clark has rejected.
However, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean), which is the driving force behind the EAS and is chaired by Malaysia, has said that Asean along with its three northern neighbours - Japan, China and South Korea - will form the core of any new community. " [Snippet]
