ASEAN and the Structural Change of the World Economy

ASEAN has been an important axis of regional economic cooperation and FTA in East Asia. As part of the structural change of the world economy, ASEAN has promoted deepening and widening of regional cooperation. The advancement of intra-ASEAN economic cooperation and East Asian regional economic cooperation as an axis of ASEAN will have major influences on the overall East Asian economy as well as the world economy. This paper confirms the significance of intra-ASEAN economic cooperation within the structural change of the world economy, and addresses current issues relating to intra-ASEAN economic cooperation. Section 2 discusses the significance of intra-ASEAN economic cooperation within the structural change of the world economy. Section 3 analyzes the experiences of intra-ASEAN economic cooperation during the period from 1976 to 2003. Section 4 discusses the new developments in intra-ASEAN Economic Cooperation since 2003, and ASEAN and the East Asian regional economic cooperation. The concluding section summarizes these analyses, and also presents key issues relating to intra-ASEAN economic cooperation.