The Asean Economic Ministers Meeting began on August 22 in Malaysia. According to

Reuters, on the first day of the five-day meeting, the ministers agreed to bring

forward the realization of the Asean Economic Community by five years to 2015, to

avoid falling behind China and India in the race to attract foreign capital. Cambodian

Minister of Commerce, Cham Prasidh, told the Malaysian press he intended to promote

the use of alternative power sources in Asean countries, such as solar, wind and

hydro energy, due to escalating oil prices.