ADB launches publication on Asian economic cooperation and integration

 

ADB launches publication on Asian economic cooperation and integration UzReport.com [01:40] 02.09.2005 The Asian Development Bank today launched Asian Economic Cooperation and Integration: Progress, Prospects and Challenges. This book represents the latest thinking on the subject from highly respected experts in the field. Based on the papers presented during the High-Level Conference on Asia's Economic Cooperation and Integration organized by ADB last year, the book evaluates the current state of economic cooperation and integration in Asia; explores the potential benefits, complexities, and challenges of regional cooperation and integration; and discusses possible directions for enhancing economic integration within the region. "Regional cooperation and economic integration are keys to unlocking Asia's vast potential, to spurring strong and sustained economic growth across the region, and to making sure that every citizen of every country can have the opportunity to live a healthy and fulfilling life," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said during the launching ceremony held in Singapore. "The reality is that regional cooperation is a relatively new concept in Asia - so much so that we have only just begun to measure its benefits and decipher the lessons that will help Asia move forward. It is my hope that this collection of expert analyses will serve as a roadmap as the Asia and Pacific region moves into a new era of development." The publication is a follow-up to the two-volume book entitled Monetary and Financial Integration in East Asia: The Way Ahead, released by ADB last year. This new book features views on different aspects of regional cooperation from senior policymakers, representatives from multilateral agencies, and academics, including Masahiro Kawai, a professor of economics at the University of Tokyo who will head ADB's new Office of Regional Economic Integration beginning October. The book opens by describing Asia's increasing importance in the world economy and the significance of regional integration to sustain equitable growth, and then delves into issues related to cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, money and finance, and infrastructure. According to President Kuroda, recent trends show that much progress has been made in terms of market-led integration in Asia. He noted that, in East Asia, increased intra-regional trade and investment are leading to greater synchronization of business cycles. Due to factors such as the region's growing interdependence, the popularity of regionalism in other areas, and intensity of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, there are now determined efforts to support market-led integration with various regional cooperative initiatives.

From: http://www.uzreport.com/e/index.cfm?sec=1&subsec=3&n_ID=17987