The eighth biennial ASEM summit, on 4-5 October, at head of state and government level will bring together representatives from 27 EU member states and 16 Asian countries (ten ASEAN countries: Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar/Burma plus China, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan and Mongolia). It will be also attended by representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Russia – countries that will formally become members during the meeting - and by the European Commission and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The ASEM members represent together approximately 58% of the world’s population, 50% of global GDP and over 60% of international trade.

Three of the countries meeting at the ASEM summit in Brussels are the EU’s current strategic partners (China, Japan and Russia), while three others - Indonesia, Pakistan and South Korea - are considered potential privileged partners. Four countries - China (2), Russia (3), Japan (6) and South Korea (8) - are among the EU's first ten major trading partners.

The Asian members of ASEM are key trading partners of the EU, accounting for over one fourth of the Union's trade with the world in 2009 (€619 billion).

EU trade in goods with Asian ASEM countries in 2009 (Source: European Commission)

Exports to ASEM: €220 billion, with three Asian ASEM countries (China, Russia and Japan being the EU’s major exports partners)

Imports from ASEM: €399 billion, with China being the EU’s major imports partner (18%)

EU is ASEM’s major trading partner (14%), followed by the US (13%)

European foreign direct investment in Asian ASEM countries is estimated at €350 billion, with some €40 billion invested in 2008 alone

Foreign direct investment(Source: Eurostat)

EU FDI in ASEM (million euro) ASEM FDI in EU (million euro)

1998 5,570 2,516

2003 19,882 6,984

2008 40,618 14,319 

Calendar of events preceding and following the ASEM summit:

UN summit on Millennium Development Goals in New York (US), 20-22 September

ASEM summit in Brussels (Belgium), 4-5 October

G20 summit in Seoul (South Korea), 11-12 November

APEC summit in Yokohama (Japan), 13-14 November

UN climate change conference in Cancun (Mexico), 29 November-10 December

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