The idea of an Asia-Europe Summit Meeting originated at the 1994 Europe- East Asia Economic Forum organized by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. This was picked up by Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, who discussed the idea with the then French Prime Minister, Mr Edouard Balladur. Supportive of this initiative, France worked to secure the in-principle support of the other European Union (EU) member states. Under the French Presidency of the EU, the EU General Affairs Council met on 6 March 1995 and endorsed the idea. Meanwhile, Singapore was able to get the commitment of its fellow members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) plus Japan, China and South Korea for such a summit meeting. Hence, the first Asia- Europe Meeting (ASEM) comprising the fifteen EU member states, the seven ASEAN countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), Japan, China and South Korea, was held in Bangkok in March 1996. All the twenty-five countries except for Denmark, Greece, Spain and Sweden were represented by their Heads of Governments/States in this historical meeting.

When ASEM was initially conceived, there were two very basic and modest objectives. The first was to promote economic relations between Asia and Europe, and second, to develop direct and personal contacts between Asian and European leaders. It was meant to be an exploratory meeting with no fixed agenda. Although some differences over the agenda of the meeting, for example on human rights issues, did appear during the preparatory stage, these were finally played down, and both sides agreed to focus on the big picture. As momentum gathered, more and more initiatives and ideas surfaced, culminating in a successful meeting where a comprehensive range of activities were suggested for follow-up.

The significance of ASEM (which is sketched below) should not be underestimated. The very fact that it was held in the first place was of critical value. It was a high-profile kick-start to Asia's and Europe's rediscovery of each other.