BEIJING - The expansion of a major East Asian forum to include the United States and Russia has been seen as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.

Foreign ministers attending informal consultations at the East Asia Summit - the region's chief forum on global issues - expressed their support on Wednesday for the US and Russia becoming members.

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Their inclusion needs to be approved at the 17th ASEAN summit later this year.

According to AFP, diplomats at Wednesday's meeting said the inclusion of the US and Russia would help to "counterbalance" the dominance of regional superpower China.

"The size of China will make it impossible for the rest of Asia, including Japan and India, to match it in weight and capacity in about 20 to 30 years. So we need America to strike a balance," former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew said previously. His remarks express the feelings of some other Southeast Asian countries, according to experts.

Analysts say the expansion highlights growing global interest in Asia's emerging economies.

"The move is being pushed by the US to expand its diplomatic and military presence in this region," said Xu Liping, an expert on Southeast Asia studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The US has stepped up its Asian diplomacy since President Barack Obama took office.

Obama plans to attend the East Asia Summit every year beginning in 2011, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.

The East Asia Summit is held annually and attended by leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states plus China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

"ASEAN should seek to preserve its dominant influence in the bloc and should not let any big power dominate," Xu said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China respects the consensus reached among the ASEAN members concerning the enlargement of the summit.

China promotes open cooperation between East Asian countries. The change of regional architecture should be conducive to the peace, development and prosperity of East Asia in accordance with the region's diversity, Qin said.

ASEAN should play a dominant role in the changing process, he said.

Jia Duqiang, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the US and Russia should join the summit as participants, not leaders.

"The EAS should be based on East Asia, and too many members will weaken its focus on specific issues," Jia said.

However, "the expansion will help China remove doubts from the US and other countries, and will help the bloc discuss all kinds of problems at a better platform," Jia said.