The 12th annual ASEAN Plus Three Summit has opened in Pattaya, Thailand.

On Friday, the ten member nations and the leaders of 16 countries including South Korea, China, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand will hold bilateral or trilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit.

The ASEAN Plus Three summit will be held the following day, and the East Asia Summit between South Korea, Japan and China will take place Sunday.

Saturday’s meeting will focus on discussing measures to overcome the global economic crisis but North Korea’s rocket launch may also be included on the agenda.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand assured the summit will take place despite anti-government protests. He also proclaimed Friday a temporary holiday.