Asian and Pacific Council

a regional organization in the Far East and in the western part of the Pacific Ocean—including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, South Vietnam, and Taiwan.

The council was organized at the founding conference in Seoul, South Korea, on June 14–16, 1966. Its official task is to hold consultations on economic, cultural, and social questions. Actually, it is a political alliance directed against the Asian socialist countries and against the whole national liberation movement in its area of operation. Between annual sessions, the permanent committee is the consultative and coordinating body of the Asian and Pacific Council; it is composed of the ambassadors of the member countries and is presided over by the foreign minister of the country where the next session of the organization is to be held. Most of the members of the Asian and Pacific Council are also members of various groupings of the western powers, such as SEATO. They are all linked by various treaties and agreements with the USA or Britain.