Announcement
Ten years have passed since the Asian economic/currency crisis followed Thailand's being forced into adopting a floating exchange rate after giving-up its pegged exchange rate regime on July 2, 1997. It is also 10 years since the establishment of ASEAN+3 (Japan, China, and South Korea), which is now the main vehicle of the regional integration process in East Asia.
These days, "remember the Asian crisis" or "the crisis was our wake-up call" are the rally cries of those eager to promote Asian regional integration. Clearly, the distress from the crisis triggered serious advocacy for this form of integration.
At this conference, policy-makers and other participants from Japan and abroad will discuss the current state of the crisis prevention mechanism within the Asian regional framework, along with its roadmap. Discussion will be based on two key areas: lessons from the Asian crisis and promotion of Asian regional integration. In the area of trade, Japan, China, and South Korea are nearing FTA agreements with ASEAN, and Japan has concluded its EPA Framework agreement with ASEAN as of May 2007. In other words, progress has been made toward the establishment of an East Asian FTA, which is the target for ASEAN+3, and defined as one of its nine medium- and long-term measures in the final report of the East Asian Study Group (EASG) of November 2002.
In the financial area, multilateralization of the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) was agreed at the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' meeting in Kyoto in May 2007. At this meeting, ministers agreed to build up a self-managed reserve pooling arrangement governed by a single contractual agreement. This development is extremely important, but the adequacy of the current crisis prevention mechanism in this region is a pressing issue. The first task for this conference is to clarify this area. Furthermore, discussion will take place on what is the most desirable roadmap to Asian regional integration as a means of crisis prevention mechanism.
At the conference, arguments will be presented on the roadmap to Asian regional integration from a broad range of discussants. We hope the Japanese public will increase its awareness of the need for Asian regional integration, not only for other Asian countries, but for Japan itself. We are looking forward to your participation.
Information
- Time and Date: 9:30-18:05, Friday, June 29, 2007
- Venue: ADBI, Kasumigaseki Building 8F, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Language: Japanese / English (with simultaneous interpretation)
- Charge: Free
- Hosts: Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) / Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)
- Support: Nikkei Inc. / The Council on East Asian Community (CEAC)
- Contact: RIETI Ms. Taeko MATSUKURA
Tel:03-3501-8398
* Handouts pertaining to the symposium will be available for download from the RIETI website after the event.
* Purpose of Use of Images
Agenda (subject to change)
9:30-12:50 Session I: Regional Integration in Asia as a Framework for Crisis Prevention and Response
Chair: OGAWA Eiji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Graduate School of Commerce and Management, Hitotsubashi University)
Opening Remarks and Keynote Speech
KAWAI Masahiro (Dean, ADBI / Individual Member, CEAC)
Presentation
Thanong BIDAYA (former Minister of Finance of Kingdom of Thailand)
Jusuf ANWAR (Ambassador, Republic of Indonesia / former Minister of Finance of Republic of Indonesia)
YAMASHITA Eiji (Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Osaka City University / Individual Member, CEAC)
KURODA Atsuo (Director, International Economic Affairs Division, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
(10:50-11:10 Coffee Break)
Discussion
Discussants
ITO Takatoshi (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Faculty of Economics and Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo / Individual Member, CEAC)
MURASE Tetsuji (Professor, the International Center, Kyoto University)
ARIYOSHI Akira (Director, IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific)
Robert Alan FELDMAN (Head of Japan Economic Research / Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., Ltd.)
ONO Hisashi (Director, Regional Financial Cooperation Division, International Bureau, Ministry of Finance)
Q&A
12:50-14:00 Lunch Break (buffet at foyer)
14:00-17:00 Session II: "What Should We Learn from Crisis Experiences of Individual Countries? What Are New Challenges?"
Chair: Mario LAMBERTE (Research Director, ADBI)
Keynote Speech
GYOHTEN Toyoo (President, Institute for International Monetary Affairs / Senior Advisor, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. / Vice-President and Think-tank Member, CEAC)
Presentation (Thailand)
Bhasu BHANICH SUPAPOL (Deputy Director, Fiscal Policy Research Institute)
Presentation (Malaysia)
Prema-Chandra ATHUKORALA (Professor of Economics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University)
Presentation (Korea)
Doo Yong YANG (Director, Department of International Macroeconomics and Finance, KIEP)
Presentation (Indonesia)
HENDAR (Deputy Director of Monetary Policy Bureau, Directorate of Economic Research and Monetary Policy, Bank Indonesia)
Presentation (China)
YAO Zhizhong (Research Fellow, Research Section of International Trade, Institute of World Economics & Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
(15:35-15:55 Coffee Break)
Discussion
Discussants
KITAHARA Atsushi (Professor, Faculty of Economics, Ryukoku University)
KOMATSU Masaaki (Professor, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University)
SATO Kiyotaka (Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Yokohama National University)
Jayant MENON (Senior Research Fellow, ADBI)
KINOSHITA Toshihiko (Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University)
Q&A
17:00-18:00 Session III: Can Asia Cope with New Currency and Financial Risks?
Panel Discussion
Session Chair: ITO Takatoshi (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Faculty of Economics and Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo / Individual Member, CEAC)
Panelists
KAWAI Masahiro (Dean, ADBI / Individual Member, CEAC)
YAMASHITA Eiji (Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Osaka City University / Individual Member, CEAC)
Thanong BIDAYA (former Minister of Finance of Kingdom of Thailand)
ARIYOSHI Akira (Director, IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific)
18:00-18:05 Closing Remarks
FUJITA Masahisa (President and CRO, RIETI / Professor, Konan University / Adjunct Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University)
