Mr Lagos is keen to push forward his promised economic and social reforms, held up partly by the long legal battle to decide whether the former dictator Augusto Pinochet could or could not be put on trial, and partly by the economic slowdown.

ECONOMIST: Chile's politics

His country gave birth to the Lisbon agenda of 2000, an attempt to push forward the process of economic reform and liberalisation across Europe.

ECONOMIST: European Commission

The world's dominant economic powers should give it a firm push forward.

CNN: FIXING THE WORLD

However, Schwab said that because the U.S. sub-prime mortgage crisis that heralded the recent economic downturn, was one of a slew of factors driving market turmoil, the World Economic Forum was ideally placed to push discussion forward.

CNN: Market avalanches hit Davos talks

So I think the thing to watch at the U.S.-ASEAN Summit is that area: What concrete areas have expanded economic and trade engagement they can agree to, and in what respects are they able to push forward practical programs in terms of education and people-to-people ties.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House