Another major topic was Malaysia's offer to host an "East Asia Summit" of the 10 ASEAN countries plus Japan, China and South Korea next year, said Yong. But a decision on whether to accept the offer would likely be taken at the summit level, Yong said.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad long wanted those countries to form a trade bloc to compete with Europe and North America.
Japan and South Korea were lukewarm because of pressure from their ally, the US.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said substantial meetings under the ASEAN umbrella are preferable to a "cosmetic" East Asia summit.
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