At a three-day summit in the Thai resort of Hua Hin, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are discussing a Japanese proposal to carry out a feasibility study for a huge free trade zone including the 10 Asean members plus regional partners China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Asian nations should take advantage of the region's more rapid recovery from the recession than the West. Host country Thailand added that the region's economy should no longer be dependent on Western consumption of goods produced in Asia.

At the summit, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd presented an alternative proposal for an Asia Pacific Community to be formed by 2020, which would include involvement of the United States and measures regarding security, disaster management and climate change.

The Thai government deployed 18,000 troops in Hua Hin after the Asean summit was twice postponed due to large-scale protests. Chairmanship of Asean will pass to Vietnam at the end of December.