East Asian community proposed

US: Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Monday proposed to Chinese President Hu Jintao the joint formation of an EU-style East Asian community, officials said.

Hatoyama arrived here earlier in the day, making his global debut at the UN General Assembly following Wednesday’s inauguration of his government. He plans to meet world leaders here and at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh.

In his meeting with Hu, Hatoyama said he intends to push for his vision of an East Asian community designed to unify the region, possibly under a single currency.

“I told (Hu) that I would like to form an East Asian community by overcoming differences,” including a dispute over exploitation rights for gas fields lying near islands the two countries claim in East China Sea, Hatoyama told reporters.

AFP