IT was Tokyo in the early 1990s, soon after the retirement as prime minister of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew. As guest speaker at the lectern, Lee was telling the mainly Japanese audience how a world built around two economic poles was preferable to one built around three.
It had also been soon after Malaysia had proposed the East Asia Economic Grouping (EAEG), finding pained reluctance from prospective key member Japan. Tokyo was as intrigued by the proposal as it was cold towards it, sensing little apparent enthusiasm from Jakarta and Singapore as well.
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