Regional lessons

The meetings, including East ASIA SUMMIT (EAS), in Hanoi, Vietnam, have put the region's development and security issues in the spotlight again. As regional leaders hold a series of meetings on Saturday, it would be pertinent to see the different roles China and the United States want to play in the region.

As a big regional and world player, China wants wider agreement on how to tackle the boiling issues in the region. And as the world's most populous country striving for greater success in social and economic development, China needs long-term stable relations with neighboring countries. In fact, building good neighborly ties has always been its top priority.

This is reflected in Premier Wen Jiabao's tight schedule in Hanoi, too. Apart from attending the formal EAS, he will also meet with some heads of state separately during his short stay in Hanoi to consolidate old ties and discuss issues of mutual interest. China has always supported regional development and integration, and wants to work with other countries to give full play to regional mechanisms such as the EAS.