Building an ASEAN Economic Community - Brick By Brick

On Friday 14 December 2007, at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, Ms Louise Hand, and Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN, Ms Soeung Rathchavy, will launch the book Brick by Brick: the Building of an ASEAN Economic Community. The launch of this important publication commemorates the 40th birthday of ASEAN – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Brick by Brick offers key insights from highly respected academics and analysts from both Australia and the ASEAN region into the challenges facing the organisation as it strives to build the ASEAN Economic Community. Edited by Dr Denis Hew, Brick by Brick is published by the Institute of South East Asian Studies in Singapore, in conjunction with Asia Pacific Press.

Australia has a long history of development cooperation with the countries of ASEAN, and with ASEAN as a regional body. Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974, and has been assisting ASEAN’s cooperation and integration efforts strongly since then.

This publication was the idea of ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong, to disseminate the research being undertaken under the ASEAN-Australian Development Cooperation Program’s Regional Economic Policy Support Facility. This facility has been funded up to $14.5 million from 2002 to 2008 by AusAID, the Australian Government’s international development agency. During this time it has produced over 50 research reports by prominent experts on key issues relating to ASEAN’s economic integration, and has influenced ASEAN’s regional policy making in areas such as financial and monetary integration and air services liberalisation.

The book includes forewords by Mr Ong, and by AusAID Director-General Bruce Davis. It poses some important questions for ASEAN as it seeks to achieve greater integration and competitiveness. It asks, “What are the implications of the goal of a single market?” and “How will integration affect the less developed members of ASEAN?”

Louise Hand says the ASEAN economic community, with a population of 576 million, gross domestic product of US$1.07 trillion, and total trade of US$1.44 trillion, is set to become an economic powerhouse of the future.

“ASEAN currently accounts for more than a quarter of Asia’s total trade, and this publication is a good introduction to some of the most important issues facing regional economic cooperation.”

Copies of Brick by Brick: the Building of an ASEAN Economic Community can be ordered through PT Java Books (Ph: +62 21 4682 1088; Fax: +62 21 461 0206; Email: [email protected] ) or
ISEAS (http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/bookmarks/BM329/).

Further Information:
Mia Salim (Public Affairs, AusAID) 0812 107 0237