President Lee Myung-bak departed for a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia Thursday to attend a series of summits in Indonesia and for a state visit to the Philippines.
Following his arrival in Bali Thursday, Lee will hold a summit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and discuss bilateral defense cooperation, among other issues, including a joint project to develop fighter jets.
On Friday, the president will meet with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Lee will also attend the ASEAN Plus Three summit, which includes ASEAN member states, South Korea, China and Japan.
During his talks with ASEAN leaders on Friday, Lee will discuss ways to boost cooperation between South Korea and ASEAN member countries whose ties have been upgraded to strategic partnership. Lee will also discuss ways to promote financial cooperation, including the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM), which is an advanced framework on regional liquidity support. Boosting bilateral cooperation in food, energy and security will also top summit discussions.
On Sunday, Lee will visit the Philippines and hold a summit with President Benigno Aquino. The two leaders will share views on ways to improve investment environments, promote cooperation in development projects and ways to protect the rights and interests of Koreans residing in the Philippines.
The two leaders are also expected to sign memoranda of understanding on building a comprehensive agro-industrial cluster and on a project to build a coal-fired power plant in the Subic area in the Philippines.
