Southeast Asian countries fear China-led trade deals could overshadow them

MANILA (AP) - Southeast Asian countries fear that dozens of free-trade pacts being pursued by Asian giants, led by China, could overshadow their regional bloc and draw away economic benefits, according to a report seen Saturday.

Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN have said they were considering whether to temporarily defer new free-trade talks to allow them to focus on six ongoing deal negotiations - including ones with China, Japan, South Korea and India.

ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong, in a confidential report to the 10-country bloc's economic ministers, raised more concerns, such as the possibility that free-trade accords being pursued by Asian economic powerhouses led by China could overshadow ASEAN.

Ong said such free-trade deals by ASEAN's more economically robust neighbors could also shift economic benefits away from the Southeast Asian bloc.