Trade away from the West, Asia leaders told

Last Updated: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:24:00 +1100

Asia-Pacific leaders, meeting in Thailand, called for region-wide free trade and other measures to reduce dependence on the United States and big Western markets.

Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama urged Asian leaders to keep up fiscal and monetary stimulus measures even if there were signs of economic recovery.

He told the gathering at the Thai resort of Hua Hin there was "no room for complacency".

Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Asia needed a new growth model that relied less on big Western trading partners and more on Asia-wide trade pacts.

But Thailand and the Philippines failed to reach an agreement in a row over import tariffs.

And the talks were said to have been overshadowed at the start by ongoing tensions between Thailand and neighbour Cambodia.

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