Imagine you are entrusted with the task of organising a party celebrating the founding of a neighbourhood committee soon. What would you do if two of the big players in the locality are quarreling with one another? Would you try to patch things up before the party, or call it off altogether?

Such was the dilemma uppermost on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's mind when he delivered his keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur recently.

In his speech, the prime minister expressed his misgivings over the deteriorating bilateral relationship between the two East Asian giants China and Japan and appeared wary of its implications for the region as a whole.

Yes, Abdullah has ample reasons to be concerned, because Malaysia is scheduled to play host to the East Asia Summit (EAS) the first of its kind towards the end of this year.