Experts map economic intergration for Asia

MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2008

Some of Asia’s key policy makers and business leaders will be in Sydney today for a half-day symposium organised by ANU and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) introducing the work of The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

The symposium – The Roadmap Towards Economic Integration in East Asia: The future roles for Australia and Japan – will be held today, Monday 25 February, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. It will bring together some of Asia’s leading academics, business people, policy makers and economists to hear keynote presentations and a roundtable discussion.

It will be the first opportunity in Australia to hear about the progress of the work of ERIA, an institute formed at the recommendation of Heads of Government at the ASEAN summit in Singapore last year.

The institute is backed and financed by the Japanese government and includes a network of prestigious think-tanks from each of the 16 countries in ASEAN. The Australian contribution comes from the Australia-Japan Research Centre (AJRC) at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at ANU. ERIA was formed to conduct high quality policy-oriented research to assist the ASEAN Secretariat and the East Asia Summit countries in working towards closer regional cooperation and integration. In the first round of research work conducted by ERIA the ANU contributed a study on Services Trade Liberalisation which grew out of an Australian Research Council project at AJRC.

Keynote presentations at the symposium will be by Huw McKay, Senior International Economist at Westpac Banking Corporation and Sundram Pushpanathan, Principal Director of the Bureau for Economic Integration and Finance, ASEAN Secretariat. There will also be a roundtable discussion moderated by AJRC Executive Director Professor Jenny Corbett.

Media are invited to attend the forum. A full program is available online at http://www.jetro.go.jp/australia/events/upcoming/

For interviews or more information contact:
Professor Jenny Corbett – 0421 459 040
Martyn Pearce, ANU Media Office – (02) 6125 5575 / 0416 249 245

WHAT: The Roadmap Towards Economic Integration in East Asia symposium

WHEN: Monday 25 February, 1.30pm – 5pm

WHERE: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Bayside Room 204