The East Asia Summit (EAS) was established in 2005 with the purpose of ensuring dialogue and cooperation on strategic, political, and economic issues within East Asia and the Pacific. The annual forum originally consisted of 16 Member States. The founding members include ASEAN countries, along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. The forum reached its current number of Member states when the Russian Federation and the USA became members after the 6th annual session. It operates in coordination with the broader framework of ASEAN and is held annually alongside the ASEAN Summit. The annual summit is attended by the respective leaders of each Member State. The EAS has identified 16 streams of work which include: peace and security, economic cooperation and trade, cooperation on natural disaster management, and sustainable development. In particular, the forum aims to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the region by encouraging open dialogue, and joint action in areas such as maritime security, connectivity, disaster resilience, regional trade, climate change and disarmament.

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Furthermore, through its wide membership and strategic importance, the EAS serves as a critical platform to address regional tensions and foster cooperation in a rapidly evolving geopolitical environment for all its member nations. It has also contributed to shaping norms on regional security  and ensuring multilateral collaboration to tackle common regional challenges . As one of the most inclusive regional forums in the East Asia and the Pacific region, the EAS aspires to build a peaceful, stable, and integrated region for the benefit of all its people, today and in the future.

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