East Asia Summit likely a compass for future course

In Hangzhou, at the just-concluded G20 Summit, President Xi Jinping called on the participating global leaders to avoid making the meeting a "venue for empty talk", and instead build an "action team".

And positive actions are what we hope to see at the East Asia Summit now in session in Vientiane, Laos.

With the crisis-era sense of urgency gone, globalization stalled, and some members losing determination, it remains an open question if the promises and action plans made in Hangzhou will bear the anticipated fruit.