EUROPEAN leaders have been warned not to underestimate the importance of this week's Asia-Europe summit in Bangkok.
They have been told by their foreign ministry officials that although no grand statements are likely to come from the meeting it provides a unique chance to strengthen important and long-neglected links.
The fact that Asian governments coming to Bangkok consider the affair an historic event elevates it into something significant; after all the two sides have never engaged in anything like this before.
Experienced observers point out that Asian diplomacy often works at a slow pace - perhaps to the benefit of a region that is enjoying remarkable economic success and hoping to keep a lid on potential flashpoints that might upset business plans.
European diplomats told the South China Morning Post that the chiefs of some Western delegations to the Bangkok meeting appeared to consider the trip little more than a colourful sideshow to more important political tasks.
The feeling was that it provided a useful opportunity to fly the flag for their corporate communities.
The diplomats concede that the meeting's vague agenda, dearth of precise targets, and limited electoral appeal back home might have lulled some European politicians into mentally downgrading the event.
