Bangkok, 10 November 2009 — Heads of state and governments from around the Asia-Pacific region who convened for a series of summits in Thailand between 23-25 October, 2009, have signed, sealed, and initiated a series of agreements that will lead to far-reaching changes in the region’s economic, social, educational, and environmental fabric.

The agreements will lead to a significant increase in intra-regional travel both within the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the surrounding Asia-Pacific countries; such as, China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

This is the second time the ASEAN and other associated summits were held in the twin Thai resort cities of Hua Hin and Cha-am this year. Both are ideally located for such high-level events in terms of their infrastructure support, abundance of accommodation facilities and increasingly important, the ability to ensure good security arrangements.

The main event was the 15th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations alongside which the ASEAN leaders also held a number of side summits with the leaders of China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Summits ended with the inauguration of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the adoption of a declaration on climate change as well as the adoption of a declaration on education cooperation to achieve an ASEAN Community. Here is a brief summary of some of the key agreements.

	ASEAN has completed Free Trade Agreements with Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, China and India, creating a combined area with a GDP of 14.1 trillion USD, a combined population of 3.3 billion people, and combined reserves of 3.9 billion.

	ASEAN+3 (Japan, Korea and China) are to implement the 120 billion USD Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralism Agreement by the end of 2009. This is a currency swap arrangement designed to allow the signatory countries to come to each other’s assistance in case of future currency-related “external shocks”.
	China will contribute 200 million USD to the credit guarantee and investment mechanism under the Asian Bonds Market Initiative (ABMI).

	ESCAP estimates 14 billion USD is needed to build the missing link in physical connectivity in the Asia-Pacific.
	ASEAN to set up a high level task force to develop a master plan and infrastructure development fund.
	China pledged 10 billion USD in the China-ASEAN Fund on Investment Cooperation and another USD 15 billion commercial credit including USD 1.7 billion preferential loans (with the pledge to increase the preferential loans from 1.7 billion USD to USD 6.7 billion).

	China pledged 100,000 USD to the ASEAN Foundation for implementation of projects to promote people and cultural exchanges.

	China has pledged to train 100 environmental officials for ASEAN Member States and to launch the programme “Double 100,000 Goal of Student Mobility in 2020”.
	ROK is to include ASEAN in the Global Korea Scholarship Programme and study the possibility of establishing an ASEAN-ROK Cyber University.
	Japan will mobilize 90 billion USD from the Japan ASEAN Integration Fund to be used for the Disaster Management and Emergency Response together with emergency assistance related to financial crisis and Japanese language training courses for nurses.

	The Republic of Korea committed a second tranche of 5 million USD from 2008-2012 and third tranche of 5 million USD from 2013-2017.
	India is to allocate 50 million USD to the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund and ASEAN Development Fund.

In one way or another, all these agreements are designed to build upon ASEAN’s geographical advantage — its location at the crossroads of an economically vibrant and growing region bounded by India in the west; China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in the Northeast; and Australia and New Zealand in the South.

According to the ASEAN Secretary General Dr Surin Pitsuwan, “ASEAN thus has the potential to physically anchor itself as the transportation, information and communication technology, and tourism hub of this region” and enhance intra-regional connectivity through trade, investment, tourism, and development.

As all of the overland transport linkages will have to go through the mainland Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR., Vietnam, and Myanmar, these countries stand to benefit the most through infrastructure development, and the opening up of remote inland and less-developed regions. All these efforts would significantly narrow the development gap within ASEAN.

Dr. Surin said, “In addition to the tangible economic benefits of the ASEAN Connectivity, the linkages created would intensify and strengthen the ASEAN Community building efforts, not only in terms of enhanced regional cooperation and integration, but also through people-to-people contacts.

“In this regard, the concept of the ASEAN Connectivity would also complement the ongoing regional efforts to realize a people-oriented ASEAN Community by 2015 with a focus on fostering a sense of shared cultural and historical linkages.

Dr Surin notes that it is vital to complete the physical road, rail, air, and sea linkages within ASEAN. Development of infrastructure and multi-modal transport projects; such as, the ASEAN Highway Network and the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link, should be expedited in parallel with addressing software related issues within relevant existing work plans of ASEAN.

“Given the importance of the Internet in business, education and development, it is also crucial to complete the ASEAN ICT Master Plan in 2010 to enhance the intraregional Information and Communication Technology linkages.

An ASEAN High Level Task Force is to be established to study ASEAN’s internal and external connectivity, and to develop an ASEAN Master Plan on regional connectivity, that include, among others, innovative infrastructure financing mechanisms, taking into account the work done and planned to ensure optimum synergy rather than duplication of work.

The Task Force will comprise relevant experts, supported by the ASEAN Secretariat and relevant sectoral bodies, in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). In devising the Master Plan, the Task Force should ensure that the limited resources from ASEAN, Dialogue Partners, and International Development Banks and Agencies are employed in the most efficient and effective manner to realise our vision.

The Task Force will be asked to submit its recommendations to the 17th ASEAN Summit in 2010 through the ASEAN Coordinating Council.

Contact information:
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