Xi Jinping and the steamed buns: What does it mean?

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-12-31

Xi Jinping enjoys his buns, Dec. 28. (Internet photo)

The meal Xi Jinping ate at Beijing's
Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop
on Dec. 28. (Internet photo)

A dumpling house in Beijing has become the hottest restaurant in town following a visit by President and Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, who has sent China's blogosphere into overdrive with theories speculating on hidden meanings behind the humble meal.

Chinese microblogs went into meltdown on Dec. 28 after netizens uploaded photos of Xi Jinping lining up and paying for his own meal at the Beijing outlet of the Qingfeng Steamed Dumpling Shop. Xi's order of six pork buns and a plate of stewed chitterlings (pork intestines) and vegetables — valued at just 21 yuan (US$3.50) — has since become the most popular set meal at the shop, with most customers simply asking for "what President Xi had."

The restaurant has been packed out with customers since news of Xi's visit went viral, with lines of around 40 people at all times ensuring at least a half-hour wait. Eight or nine chefs can be seen making buns around the clock in the shop's glass kitchen, with one chef telling reporters that he has never seen anything like it and that he does not even have the time to use the bathroom.

The table and chair Xi used during his visit have also been removed by the shop's owner and will be kept as collectors items.

Store manager He Yuanli said when she delivered garlic and chili sauce to Xi during his meal he asked her where the ingredients came from and whether they were safe to consume. After she showed him photos of the factory on her smartphone and assured him of the ingredients' quality, Xi reportedly said, "Food safety is most important. People eating at ease is what concerns me the most."

When waiters asked Xi whether he would like some complimentary dishes or beverages the president reportedly replied that they only needed to serve what he ordered.

Netizens have scrutinized every aspect of Xi's steamed bun meal, saying that lining up and paying for such a cheap meal himself is sending a signal that the president wants all Chinese officials to avoid special privileges and excess, while his comments to the store manager suggest that a new food safety campaign could be imminent.

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Angry protests in India as school meal kills 22

Google – AFP, Imran Khan, 17 July 2013

A relative carries a schoolgirl in Patna who died after eating a free meal at

a school in Bihar state, July 17, 2013 (AFP)

PATNA, India — Twenty-two children died after eating a free lunch feared to contain poisonous chemicals at an Indian primary school, officials said Wednesday, as the tragedy sparked angry street protests.

Another 30 children are still in hospital after consuming the meal of lentils, vegetables and rice cooked at a village school in the poverty-stricken state of Bihar on Tuesday.

"Three children are fighting for their lives but doctors say they might save them," state education minister P.K. Shahi told reporters, as initial investigations showed the food may have contained traces of insecticide.

The minister said police were probing whether the food was accidentally or possibly deliberately poisoned, adding that "the facts of the case will be established in the investigation".

A relative of a schoolchild who died after

 eating a free meal protests outside

 Patna Medical College, July 17, 2013

(AFP)

Twenty of the children, aged between four and 10, were buried near the school in the village of Masrakh on Wednesday morning.

At a hospital in Chhapra, the main town of Saran district where the school is located, there were emotional scenes as children, their limbs dangling and heads lolling, were admitted.

Other children, lying listless on stretchers, were placed on intravenous drips amid chaotic scenes at the hospital. Outside, inconsolable relatives wept.

"My children had gone to school to study. They came back home crying, and said it hurts," one distraught father told the NDTV network.

"I took them into my arms, but they kept crying, saying their stomach hurt very badly."

Running to the school to find out what had happened, the father said he saw "many bodies of children lying on the ground".

As the death toll continued to rise, angry residents armed with poles and sticks took to the streets of Chhapra.

The mob smashed windows of police buses and other vehicles and overturned a police booth.

"Hundreds of angry people staged a protest in Saran since late Tuesday night, demanding stern action against government officials responsible for this shocking incident," said district government official S.K. Mall.

India runs the world's largest free school meal scheme, covering 120 million children. Educators see it as a way to increase school attendance, in a country where almost half of all young children are undernourished.

But children often suffer from food poisoning due to poor hygiene in kitchens and occasionally sub-standard food.

A preliminary investigation showed the meal may have contained traces of phosphate from insecticide in the vegetables, education minister Shahi said.

"It seems poison has been used, (I) repeat used, in the food but we are yet to find out the type of poison that has been used. Preliminary reports say it is organic phosphorous, which if consumed in excess can prove fatal," he said.

Doctors were treating victims with atropine, which is effective against organophosphate poisoning, local government official Amarjeet Sinha said.

"Investigators are examining midday meal samples and samples of victims' vomit. Only the final report of enquiry will reveal the real cause," Sinha said.

A jeep set alight in Chhapra, eastern India

 by people protesting the deaths of

schoolchildren, July 17, 2013 (AFP)

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($3,373) for each of the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, some 50 children fell ill in a neighbouring district in Bihar on Wednesday after eating lunch at their school. They were given first aid but none needed to be admitted to hospital, an official said.

"On enquiry we found a lizard in the food that was cooked in the school premises and we have already ordered an investigation," district administrator Lokesh Kumar Singh said by phone.

Last year more than 130 students were taken to hospital in the western city of Pune after eating lunch at school, the Times of India reported. A probe revealed that the food was contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

Food prices have soared in India over the past six years, causing increased hardship for the 455 million people estimated by the World Bank to live below the poverty line.

Ahead of elections next year, the government this month announced a subsidised food programme to offer grains to nearly 70 percent of the population, or 820 million people, at a small fraction of market prices.

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'Instant chicken' scandal: McDonald's admits Liuhe was supplier

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2012-12-27

A McDonald's outlet in Beijing. (Photo/CNS)

McDonald's has finally admitted that the company at the center of China's "instant chicken" scandal was one of its suppliers, the state newswire Xinhua reports.

The global fast food chain had initially denied it did business with the Shandong-based Liuhe Group, a major supplier to rival KFC, which was discovered to have used excessive antibiotics and illegal hormones and chemicals to speed up the growth of its broiler chickens.

Following continued public and media scrutiny, however, McDonald's now says that Liuhe was in fact one of its "second-tier" or "downstream" suppliers, although it has stopped buying chicken from the company since Dec. 18 and samples of McDonald's products have subsequently been tested by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.

McDonald's had been reluctant to comment after the scandal first came to light, only previously publishing a notice on its official Chinese microblog claiming that all its chicken products had passed stringent quality controls and met government standards after independent third-party laboratory testing.

A McDonald's China spokesperson said that the restaurant chain was not directly stocked by Liuhe and that quality controls of its second-tier suppliers are carried out by its first-tier suppliers.

According to Xinhua, second-tier suppliers provide the basic raw materials, while first-tier suppliers process the raw materials into chicken products. McDonald's does not deal directly with second-tier suppliers and relies on its first-tier suppliers to enforce quality controls, the spokesperson added.

The world's largest fast food chain added that it also conducts quality checks on every batch of its chicken products but has so far not found excessive antibiotic levels in Liuhe's chicken, while hormone levels are not tested as part of the checks.

A spokesperson from China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday morning that the scandal is still under investigation but all suspect chicken farms and processing plants have been shut down.

A KFC outlet in Shanghai.
anim(Photo/Xinhua)

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Leaked documents reveal US diplomats actually work for Monsanto

NaturalNews, by: Anthony Gucciardi, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

See allarticles by this author

(NaturalNews) Biotech giant Monsanto has been genetically modifying the world's food supply and subsequently breeding environmental devastation for years, but leaked documents now reveal that Monsanto has also deeply infiltrated the United States government. With leaked reports revealing how U.S. diplomats are actually working for Monsanto to push their agenda along with other key government officials, Monsanto's grasp on international politics has never been clearer.

Amazingly, the information reveals that the massive corporation is also intensely involved in the passing and regulations concerning the very GM ingredients they are responsible for. In fact, the information released by WikiLeaks reveals just how much power Monsanto has thanks to key positions within the United States government and elsewhere. Not only was it exposed that the U.S. is threatening nations who oppose Monsanto with military-style trade wars, but that many U.S. diplomats actually work directly for Monsanto.

What the leaked documents reveal -- Military style trade wars, government corruption

In 2007 it was requested that specific nations inside the European Union be punished for not supporting the expansion of Monsanto's GMO crops. The request for such measures to be taken was made by Craig Stapleton, the United States ambassador to France and partner to George W. Bush. Despite mounting evidence linking Monsanto's GM corn to organ damage and environmental devastation, the ambassador plainly calls for 'target retaliation' against those not supporting the GM crop. In the leaked documents, Stapleton states:

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices."

The undying support of key players within the U.S. towards Monsanto is undeniably made clear not only in this release, but in the legislative decisions taken by organizations such as the FDA and USDA. Legislative decisions such as allowing Monsanto's synthetic hormone Posilac (rBGH) to be injected into U.S. cows despite being banned in 27 countries. How did Monsanto pull this off?

The biotech juggernaut managed to infiltrate the FDA positions responsible for the approval of rBGH, going as far as instating the company's own Margaret Miller as Deputy Director of Human Safety and Consultative Services. After assuming this position, Miller reviewed her own report on the safety and effectiveness of rBGH.

Many US diplomats pawns of Monsanto's GM agenda

While it may be shocking to you if you are not familiar with the corrupt influence of Monsanto, the cables also show that many US diplomats are pushing GMO crops as a strategic government and commercial imperative. Interestingly enough, the U.S. focused their efforts toward advisers to the pope specifically, due to the fact that many Catholic figureheads have openly voiced their opposition to GM foods. With this kind of political influence, is it any wonder that many food staples are now predominantly GM? Nearly 93% of U.S. soybeans are heavily modified conservatively, with many other staple crops coming in at similar numbers.

U.S. diplomats have unique opportunities to spread honest and intellectual campagins that can serve to better mankind and end suffering, however they are instead spreading the roots of Monsanto deeper and deeper into international territory. As a substitute for the betterment of mankind, these paid-off diplomats are now spreading environment desecration and health destruction.

As if there wasn't already enough information to reveal Monsanto's corruption, the biotech giant also spends enormous amount of money lobbying government each year. Monsanto spent an astonishing $2 million lobbying the federal government in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone, according to mainstream sources. Why so much cash? The government lobbying focuses on issues like regulations for GM crops and patent reforms. This 'legal' form of persuasion is the reason government agencies like the USDA and FDA let Monsanto roam freely.

Satisfying government officials' financial vested interest is all that matters when dealing with corrupt mega-corporations like Monsanto. As long as these financial ties continue to exist, Monsanto will continue to reign over the food supply and continue to wreak devastation to the environment, ecosystem, and humankind.

Sources for this article include:

http://naturalsociety.com/us-start-trade-wars-with-nations-opposed-to-monsanto-gmo-crops/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/wikileaks-us-eu-gm-crops

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9RL51J81.htm

http://213.251.145.96/cable/2007/12/07PARIS4723.html

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1677871/fearful-of-genetically-modified-crops-youre-too-late

About the author:

Anthony Gucciardi is a health activist and wellness researcher, whose goal is centered around educating the general public as to how they may obtain optimum health. He has authored countless articles highlighting the benefits of natural health, as well as exposing the pharmaceutical industry. Anthony is the creator of Natural Society (http://www.NaturalSociety.com), a natural health website. Anthony has been accurately interpreting national and international events for years within his numerous political articles. Anthony's articles have been seen by millions around the world, and hosted on multiple top news websites.

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Dutch initiative takes on food prices in India

RNW, 7 May 2011, by Devi Boerema

(Photo: Devi Boerema)

Rising food prices are threatening South Asia’s economy. Families already living just above the poverty line are now struggling even more due to the recent explosion in vegetable prices. And a new report released by the Asian Development Bank predicts an even grimmer future if prices continue to rise.

Though Asian countries have made a steady recovery from the economic crisis, the poorest of society are not benefiting. ADB predicts that 64 million people will fall below the poverty line if food prices rise any further.

The images of grain rotting in ill-equipped storage spaces are still fresh on the minds of many Indians. At the end of last year, while the lower classes were starving, tonnes of grain were going to waste because crop surplus preservation is still difficult in India.

But, with the launch of a Dutch initiative last month in Mumbai, this could soon be a thing of the past.

Experienced farmers

During India's Food Forum, the Food Tech Holland initiative was launched. This is a consortium of Dutch companies specialising in food production and logistics.

The Dutch climate, with its four very different seasons, is not ideal for growing vegetables. So vegetable growers had to adapt. And in doing so, Dutch farmers learned how to overcome almost any food preservation challenge - positioning them perfectly to become leaders in the field of food processing.

Project manager Eric Oving: "All companies connected to the Food Tech Holland initiative offer an efficient way to produce and process food. Their solutions effectively reduce the cost of the end product. They have already proven themselves in Europe."

Room for improvement

Currently about 40% of Indian food goes to waste during storage or transport. In comparison to Europe, where waste is only a few percent, there is a lot of room for improvement.

The recent rise in the price of onions is a good example of the importance of proper vegetable storage. With well kept stocks, surplus onions could have been released onto the market when this year’s yield turned out to be disappointing, preventing tear-inducing price rises.

Traditional cooking

The Dutch company Tolsma especially focuses on storage of onions and potatoes, vegetables that are normally affordable and a staple in traditional Indian cooking.

Dim-Jan de Visser: "At the moment, onions are mostly stored in the open air in India. Due to the humid climate, almost 40 percent of the yield is lost every year. When the supply gets smaller at the end of the season, the prices rise."

Long road

Tolsma offers a wide range of solutions to warehouse owners. But Mr De Visser stresses that storage facilities are not the only hurdle on the road to better food production.

"The whole chain of food producers has to adapt to a new way of working in India. Everyone has to benefit. If people are left out because of more inefficient production techniques, it will cause unrest among the many farmers in this country."

As the gap between lower and middle class India grows, their food needs do too. Now that they can afford it, the middle class is becoming more critical about the quality of the food they buy. This new segment of the Indian market is interesting to Dutch vegetable seed breeding company Rijk Zwaan.

The latest thing

Mini cucumbers and tiny cherry tomatoes are the newest thing on the Indian market. High end restaurants and hotel chains love to serve their guests these healthy little snacks.

Hans Bouman of Rijk Zwaan says he's aware that only a small percentage of the Indian people will be able to afford the luxury vegetables. But, he says, that doesn’t mean Indian farmers won’t benefit from this new trend.

"If a farmer can deliver a better and more special product than his competition, he will be able to get a better price for his crops. He may not be able to afford the price of the end product, but he will earn more from his corps."

Cooperation

To improve food storage, the Indian government has announced the development of fifteen mega food parks. These parks will have to ensure a high quality of food production and storage. Food Tech Holland has already been invited by the ministry of food processing to discuss possibilities for cooperation.

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President calls on Asean to prepare food security program

Antara News, Sat, May 7 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on ASEAN member countries to prioritize food security programs for the people in the region.

Opening the 18th ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center here on Saturday, the head of state reminded the world of fluctuations in food prices and energy which tend to continuously increase on international markets.

"Food security is posing a big challenge to ASEAN and therefore, effective and real cooperation among ASEAN member countries is badly needed in prioritizing a guarantee to provide supplies for the people," he said.

One of the steps toward this end, the president said the implementation of integrated food security framework in a more comprehensive manner in the field of research and development as well as investment in food was seen as a must, he said.

In addition, Yudhoyono said ASEAN should give more attention to formulating food supply system which may help farmers get rid of poverty.

In his capacity as ASEAN Chairman in 2011, also reminded the ASEAN member countries of the importance to overcome energy security problems.

ASEAN, according to him, should arrive at a innovative solution by finding new energy resources required to increase energy supply, thus reducing energy consumption which may leave a negative impact on the environment.

The use of renewable energy should be attempted by applying ASEAN energy efficiency and conversation program for which economic and social development in member countries could be accelerated.

For that purpose, ASEAN needed to strengthen regional cooperation in developing renewable and alternative energy including the development of hydro-power and geo-thermal energy. "Hence we have to develop the energy research and development center in our region," Yudhoyono said.

"History has shown that a rise in food and energy prices will directly increase the number of poor people. In the meantime, we really understand and feel that reducing poverty is not as easy as it seems," the head of state said.

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

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ASEAN needs food standardization institute

ASEAN needs food standardization institute

Antara News, Fri, May 6 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - ASEAN member states need to form a joint food standardization institute to set the quality of food products in a move to better penetrate other regional markets such as Europe, an academician said.

Almost all ASEAN member countries acknowledged that their food products still had low quality, Dinna Wisnu of Paramadina University said at a discussion on foods at the ASEAN-European Union Business Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center here on Thursday.

"I think it is an interesting suggestion to set up a kind of food certification agency based in Jakarta as the capital of ASEAN," Dinna said.

He said the agency would facilitate the standardization of ASEAN food products. ASEAN member countries had so far sent food specimen to Europe to have its quality standard tested. If European buyers agreed on the quality standard they would put orders for the food.

However, he added that some ASEAN member states were still reluctant to integrate their agricultural and food sector on the ground the sector was the job priority of their peoples.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said the formation of such standardization institute was a good idea because certification and standard served as an important factor to penetrate the European market.

"We must not increase our standard according to their request, What is important is that they acknowledge our standard. Therefore, our standard must be clear and acceptable. If want our standard recognized we must improve infrastructure such as laboratory and upgrade businessman`s knowledge," she said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Greenpeace: many more people should be evacuated from Fukushima area

RNW, 29 March 2011, by Johan van der Tol

(Photo: cartoonmovement)

The Greenpeace staff were dressed in white anti-radiation coveralls, while the local Japanese were wearing their normal street clothes. Dutch Greenpeace staff member Jacob Namminga says it was an alienating experience. Mr Namminga just recently returned from a fact-finding mission near the disaster area. He recorded high radiation levels at about 40 kilometres from the Fukushima power plant.

There is mounting pressure on Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to evacuate more people from the disaster area. Each day, new reports are being published about a partial melt-down, leaking radio-active water and plutonium-contaminated soil. Environmental organization Greenpeace has carried out its own measurements and recorded much higher radiation levels than those published by the Japanese government.

“The funny thing is that you cannot see radiation. It’s a beautiful environment; a spectacular mountain landscape. However, your meter shows that the area is badly contaminated” It was not the only surreal situation encountered by the five Greenpeace staff members during their mission in Japan.

“It’s really strange to be walking around in your white coveralls, and see someone step out of their car in their norm clothes. It makes you want to warn them about the danger, and we did. However, it’s of course difficult for these people to leave the village where they have been living for such a long time.“

Not safe

In Iitate, a village 40 kilometres northwest of the power plant, Greenpeace measured radiation levels of nearly 10 Microsievert per hour, sufficient to warrant an evacuation. However, the Japanese nuclear authorities say Greenpeace’ measurements are unreliable. On top of which, many residents of the region have already left, or so the authorities say.

According to Belgian Greenpeace radiation expert Jan van de Putte, “It’s clearly not safe for people to stay in Iitate, particularly for children and pregnant women. In just a few days, they may absorb the maximum dose of radiation for a whole year. The danger is even greater when the contamination takes place via contaminated food or inhaling radio-active particles.”

Not enough information

Mr Namminga is convinced of the accuracy of his measurements.

“I am certain our measurements are accurate. We all carried a personal radiation meter. We were a team of five people, and we all recorded the same readings. (…) It seems the Japanese government is drawing a different conclusion than we do, which is that it’s not necessary to evacuate people. We disagree.”

He blames the Japanese government for providing inadequate information about the problems with the nuclear power plant. Japanese newspapers regularly publish recorded radiation levels, but fail to mention the possible consequences. “The population is essentially being kept in the dark”, Mr Namminga says.

Safety measures

During their fact-finding mission, the Greenpeace staff members observed strict safety measures. In addition to the white coverall, face masks and extensive de-contamination procedures, they slept at a distance of 100 kilometres from Fukushima. According to Jacob Namminga, they were exposed to an amount of radiation not exceeding that of a normal x-ray. However, he fears that the population is being exposed to much higher levels of radiation.

“We were taking measurements near a primary school. Radiation levels there were close to 10 Microsieverts per hour, which is high. And that’s the kind of moment when I imagine children there going back to school again. That is a really strange notion. So I am really hoping that the Japanese government will change its mind and becomes a little clearer in its advice to its people.”

At present, all residents have been evacuated from a 20-kilometere radius around the power plants. People living between 20 and 30 kilometres from Fukushima are advised to stay indoors and keep their doors and windows closed.

Levels of radioactive iodine-131 in the Pacific off the Fukushima
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Backgrounder: 14th ASEAN Summit and related summits

www.chinaview.cn , Fang Yang, 2009-04-09 19:24:15

PATTAYA, Thailand, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The 14th ASEAN Summit and its related summits will be held here from April 10-12. The related summits are an important and integral part of the 14th ASEAN Summit held on Feb. 28-March 1, 2009 in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The Summits' theme "Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges" captures the spirit and commitment of ASEAN, as a people-centered organization, in working for the benefit of the ASEAN peoples, together with its Dialogue Partners and the United Nations.

The summit begins in the evening of April 10, 2009 with an informal working dinner of the ASEAN leaders. ASEAN Plus One Summits with China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, respectively, are scheduled for April 11, to be followed by the ASEAN Plus Three Summit and ASEAN Summit Plus One with India in the afternoon.

On April 12, the East Asia Summit (EAS), or the so-called ASEAN Plus Six Summit, will be held amongst the leaders from the ASEAN member countries and the leaders of six ASEAN dialogue partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the 3rd ASEAN-UN Summit is scheduled to be convened on April 12, 2009. This summit will be an opportunity for ASEAN leaders and Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest including development, food and energy security, climate change, disaster management, and issues of the global financial crisis.

12th ASEAN-China Summit

The leaders of ASEAN member Countries and China will review the development of ASEAN-China relations in the past years and discuss how to further deepen relations between the two sides. Among others, a speedy implementation of ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement will be emphasized. In addition, they will also exchange views on regional and international issues affecting the region.

12th ASEAN-Japan Summit

The leaders of ASEAN member states and Japan will meet and review the developments in ASEAN-Japan relations during the past years and discuss how to further deepen relations between the two sides. At the meeting, the leaders will be presented with a report of the ASEAN-Japan Eminent Persons Group (EPGs) which will recommend measures to deepen and broaden ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership in the coming years.

12th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit

The leaders of ASEAN member states and ROK will review the developments in ASEAN-ROK relations during the past years and how to further enhance relations between the two sides. The President of ROK is also expected to announce the holding of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit on June 1-2, 2009. The situation in the Korean Peninsula will also be discussed.

12th ASEAN Plus Three Summit

The leaders of ASEAN member countries, China, Japan, and Republic of Korea will meet and review ASEAN Plus Three cooperation with emphasis on regional cooperation in response to food and energy security, and natural disaster that affect the region. The summit will also endorse the establishment of ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Fund with an initial fund of three million U.S. dollars to support the implementation of the 2nd Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation and the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Work Plan. In response to the on-going food and energy prices volatility, the leaders of ASEAN Plus Three will adopt the Chiang Mai Statement on ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation on Food Security and Bio-Energy Development.

4th East Asia Summit (EAS)

The leaders of ASEAN member countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and Republic of Korea will meet to discuss on strategic issues of common interest and concern that affect the region. The summit this year will focus on the issues such as food and energy security, global financial situation, and disaster relief cooperation and management. The Leaders also expect to adopt the Chiang Mai Statement on EAS Disaster Management which will tap expertise in the region on disaster response and relief.

3rd ASEAN-UN Summit

The 3rd ASEAN-UN Summit is scheduled to be convened on April 12, 2009 in Pattaya, Thailand. The leaders of ten ASEAN member states will meet with the secretary-general of the UN and heads of agencies and programs in the UN system. The summit aims at promoting and strengthening ties and cooperation between ASEAN and the UN in various aspects beneficial to the peoples in the region.

These topics may include: impacts of the current global financial crisis and measures such as social protection to help cushion the impacts affecting the peoples; cooperation to achieve internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); cooperation in disaster management to explore ways to enhance capacity in the region including Post-Nargis recovery efforts; cooperation to strengthen food security in the region through, for example, resource management, especially, water resources.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.