Leaders of the East Asian countries are forming now a EU style bloc. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, which opened at the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin on Friday.

The Asean's former secretary-general, Rodolfo Severino,  discussed with the AFP news agency: "It is coming together." The bloc proposeal for the so-called East Asian Community project was mooted by Yukio Hatoyama, the Japanese prime minister, to fellow leaders at the summit, saying the region should aspire to "lead the world". Although Japan is not a member of Asean bloc, however if the proposal materialises, other countries along with South Korea, China, India, Australia and New Zealand - would be part of Asean, which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other Asean member states are Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, the Philippines and Cambodia.

Severino added: "It's not just Asia coming together economically but politically as well. The more integrated you are, the more forceful you are," Becauce with the Asean it is already committed to setting up a single Southeast Asian free trade zone by 2015, creating a bloc with a total GDP of more than $1 trillion.