Agenda

Day 1: 12 November 2007
09.30
 Registration and Coffee
10.00-11.00
1. Opening Session
Welcome Remarks: Dr Nagesh Kumar, Director-General, RIS
Observations by Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
Observations by Dr. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Special Advisor to IDE President on ERIA, IDE/Jetro, Tokyo
Observations by Chair: Ambassador Leela K. Ponappa, Dy. NSA and Vice-Chairperson, RIS
Vote of Thanks: Dr Ram Upendra Das, Fellow, RIS
11.00-11.30
 Tea Break
11.30-13.00
2. Asia’s New Role in Global Economy and the Relevance of Asian Economic Integration
Chair:Mr Gopal Pillai, Commerce Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Key Presentations:
1.
Regional Cooperation and Asia’s New Role in the Global Economy by
Dr Sultan Rahman Hafeez, Deputy Director General, Asian Development Bank, Manila
2.
Relevance of Broader Asian Economic Integration and Approaches by
Dr Nagesh Kumar, RIS
3.
Towards a Vision of an Integrated East Asia: Comprehensive Economic Partnership of East Asia (CEPEA) and ERIA by Dr. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Special Advisor to IDE President on ERIA, IDE/Jetro, Tokyo
Distinguished Panelists:
4. Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, ISEAS, Singapore
5.
 Dr Brian Lynch, Director, New Zealand Institute of International Affairs
Open Discussion
13.00-13.30
3. Special Plenary Session
Chairperson’s Welcome Remarks : Dr Arjun Sengupta, M.P. and Chairman, RIS
Release of the book Asia’s New Regionalism and Global Role: Agenda for the East Asia Summit, published under the joint auspices of RIS and ISEAS, Singapore by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs
Inaugural Address by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs
Vote of Thanks: Dr Nagesh Kumar, Director-General, RIS
13.30-14.15 Lunch
14.15-15.30
4. Regional Trade and Investment Liberalization: Building Blocs and Emerging Approaches
Chair: Professor Muchkund Dubey, President, Council for Social Development
Key Presentations:
1.
ASEAN and Broader Economic Integration in Asia by Dr Josef T. Yap, President, Philippine Institute of Development Studies, Manila
2.
ASEAN+6 versus ASEAN+3 Approaches for Regional Economic Integration: Lessons from CGE Simulations by Dr S.K. Mohanty, RIS and Dr Sanjeeb Pohit, NCAER
3.
Asia-India Trade Relations and Growth: Implications for Regional Economic Integration Policy by Professor Tran Van Hoa, Director, ASEAN Research Program, CSES, Victoria University, Australia [in absentia]
4.
Trade Costs in Asia: Importance of Trade Facilitation and Improved Connectivity by Dr Prabir De, RIS
Discussant:
1.
Dr Rahul Sen, Fellow, ISEAS, Singapore
2.
Dr Amita Batra, Hindu College, University of Delhi
Open Discussion
15.30-15.45 Tea Break
15.45-17.30
5. Monetary and Financial Cooperation in Asia
Chair: Dr Sultan Rahman Hafeez, Deputy Director General, Asian Development Bank, Manila
Key Presentations:
1.
Towards Asian ‘Brettonwoods’ by Dr Ramgopal Agarwala, Senior Adviser, RIS
2.
Asian Exim Banks Cooperation by Mr T.C. Venkat Subramanian, Chairman and Managing Director, Export-Import Bank of India, Mumbai
3.
Financial Cooperation for Infrastructure Development in Asia: Dr Hiren Sarkar, Chief, Development Policy Section (PDD), UN-ESCAP, Bangkok
4.
Financial Cooperation in East Asia Summit by Dr Dennis Hew, Senior Fellow, ISEAS, Singapore
Open Discussion
20.00 Dinner hosted by Mr N. Ravi, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs
Day 2: 13 November 2007
10.00-11.15
6. Strategic Relevance of Asian Regionalism
Chair: Ambassador K. Kesavapany, Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
Distinguished Panelists:
1.
Professor Yao Chao Cheng, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan, P.R. of China
2.
Dr Brian Lynch, Director, New Zealand Institute of International Affairs
3.
Mr M.K. Venu, Senior Editor, The Economic Times
4.
Ambassador Paramjit S. Sahai, IFS (Retd.), Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Chandigarh
Open Discussion
11.15-11.30 Tea Break
11.30-12.45
7. Emerging Comprehensive Economic Partnership of EAS Countries:
A Business Perspective
Chair: Ambassador Arjun Asrani, Chairman, India-Japan Forum
Presentations
1.
Business Strategies and Roles of Major Japanese Companies, Dr Tetsuji Kawamura, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University
2.
Promoting Economic Cooperation between India and South Korea: A Business Perspective, Dr Soon Cheoul Lee, Fellow, Korea Institute of International Economic Policy (KIEP), Seoul
3.
Business Potential of CEPEA: An ASEAN Perspective, Dr Chayodom Sabhasri, Center for International Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
Discussant: Dr Jayanta Roy, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Open Discussion
12.45-13.30
8. Valedictory Session
Chair: Ambassador Leela K. Ponappa, Dy. NSA and Vice-Chairperson, RIS
1.
Report of the Conference: Dr. Ram Upendra Das, Fellow, RIS
2.
Valedictory Address by Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
3.
Vote of Thanks: Dr Ram Upendra Das, Fellow, RIS
13.30 Farewell Lunch