KEY POINTS:
Warnings of planned terrorist bombings during top-level regional political summits in the Philippines in coming days have highlighted the region's fragile security.
The warnings, from several governments including Australia, were reinforced on Wednesday night by a bomb blast about 400km south of the summit venue, which ripped through
a crowded market, killing six.
Two separate bombings wounded several others.
The attacks are believed to be retaliation for military operations against Islamic militants.
But the al Qaeda-linked militants are only one of the region's security issues.
Some of those issues, including North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, are likely to feature in discussions on Monday between the 16 leaders attending the second East Asia Summit in the tourist centre of Cebu.
Prime Minister Helen Clark says the summit could achieve co-operation and benefits in many areas.
Having a seat at the summit table is a chance to be accepted as a regional partner, ensuring, among other things, that New Zealand is not left behind in the rush to stitch up trade deals.
"There is a lot of relationship building going on in East Asia, and this is a way for us to have a stake in it."
Summit supporters believe it could eventually pave the way for a regional free-trade bloc and eventually a European Union-style community.
Including China and India, such a bloc would have more than 2.5 billion people, almost half the world's population.
Japan has suggested trying to achieve a trade bloc by 2015, the date by when the Association of South East Asian Nations is aiming to tie up individual trade agreements with the summit countries.
Most commentators believe that is overly optimistic, but Helen Clark says it is encouraging that countries are thinking along those lines, as Asia is an increasingly important market for New Zealand products.
"Asean will eventually sign up an agreement with Australia and New Zealand and it's a chance to really start linking those things up," she said.
She intends raising the issue of climate change, and summit members are expected to sign a declaration on energy security calling for reduced costs for renewable energy, biofuels standards and measures to reduce reliance on oil imports.
National's trade spokesman, former trade negotiator Tim Groser, says the summit is one of several potential trade circuit-breakers on offer as World Trade Organisation talks drift.
"There are a whole series of initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region and nobody can tell you which one is going to take off, so we should be on all of the fishing expeditions."
The summit is a potential competitor to Apec, which has the United States as its major drawcard and seems keen to revitalise its economic role.
But Mr Groser says Apec lacks any mechanisms for achieving its trade goals, so the series of free-trade negotiations in train between Asean and other countries give the summit an edge.
The deputy director of Jakarta's Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Rizal Sukma, says that before the summit's more grand goals can be achieved, more trust needs to be built up between the partners.
Helen Clark agreed, saying New Zealand wanted the summit to establish a permanent office with staff who could work on implementing decisions made by the leaders.
"This summit has the potential to increase the sense of community between New Zealand and East Asia, including India.
"For us, it's an important meeting."
East Asia Summit
Who's there?
New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
What's on the agenda?
North Korea's nuclear ambitions, regional security, finance, bird flu and readiness for disaster.
- NZPA
* Grant Fleming travelled to the Philippines with the assistance of the Asia-New Zealand Foundation.
