But many difficulties still lie ahead. It is too early to tell whether the actions taken at the Hua Hin summit will work. According to a Washington Post report, ASEAN countries vowed to oppose trade protectionism and launch economic stimulus plans, but they did not suggest any specific remedies for the crisis. Besides, there were disputes among ASEAN members over trade protectionism. For example, Indonesia and Malaysia encouraged their people to buy only domestic products, and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pointed out that it is normal to carry out trade protectionism during times of crisis.

The ASEAN integration process still exists only on paper. Conflicts both old and new may continue to arise during the Charter's breaking-in period. Leaders of Cambodia and Myanmar differ from other ASEAN leaders on accepting human rights representatives from other member states. Foreign observers also point out that the regional organization lacks steady leadership.

Since Japan, Australia, India, South Korea and the United States were strongly affected by the financial crisis, they have made large-scale cuts in imports from ASEAN countries. Even if they wanted to look after ASEAN, they don't have the strength. Proposed free trade agreements between ASEAN and the European Union, India and the United States have been shelved because of human rights and trade protectionism issues in Myanmar. The EU said it would rather discuss free trade agreements with certain ASEAN members separately than do it with ASEAN as a whole.

East Asian, Pan-Asian and Asia-Pacific cooperation are all now stuck. The countries involved are fiercely competitive and cannot find common understanding on the goals, content and mechanisms of cooperation. These issues also prevent ASEAN from playing a bigger role in regional development.

Traditionally, the ASEAN Summit is followed by meetings between ASEAN and its dialogue partners. But this year, all these meetings were postponed until April. Therefore the April summits, especially with China's participation, will be of special significance.

In an interview with Xinhua News Service before the summit, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo observed that the current ASEAN-China relationship could be regarded as a model for relations between ASEAN and other dialogue partners. As the only country to maintain its economic growth, China will make the biggest contribution to ASEAN and the global economy. He said China and ASEAN must fully push forward their partnership so as to guarantee the all-round implementation of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will therefore bring confidence to Southeast Asia when he participates in the April ASEAN meetings.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations