The 6th Annual Conference of NEAT

The 6th Annual Conference (AC) and the 9th Country Coordinators Meeting (CCM) of NEAT were held in Bali, Indonesia from August 24-25, 2008, hosted by Center of East Asian Corporation Studies (CEACOS) of Indonesia University. Around 50 representatives and experts from the 11 ASEAN+3 nations participated.

There were nine participants from Japan, who were ITO Kenichi, President of the Council on East Asian Community (CEAC) and President & CEO of Japan Forum on International Relations (JFIR), HIRONO Ryokichi, Vice President of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Seikei University, KAWAI Masahiro, Member of CEAC and Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute, NARITA Hironari, Member of CEAC and Professor of Ohkagakuen University, OGASAWARA Takayuki, Member of CEAC and Professor of Yamanashi Gakuin University, SHINDO Eiichi, Vice President of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Tsukuba University, YAMAZAWA Ippei, Member of CEAC and Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University, MURAKAMI Masayasu, Executive Vice President of CEAC and Executive Director of JFIR, and NAKAJIMA Takahiko, Officer in Charge in JFIR.

Memorandum No.5 of NEAT Policy Recommendation on "Strengthening Cooperation and Consolidation towards Closer Integration", which was adopted in Bali, will be submitted to the ASEAN+3 Summit to be held in Thailand in December. In the course of discussion, NEAT Japan suggested that NEAT should retain in its Memorandum the sentences about vision, goals, and principles of an East Asian community building, which have been repeatedly reaffirmed since its AC in Tokyo in 2005. As a result, Memorandum No.5 has included the sentence that community building should be based on universal values including good governance, the rule of law, democracy, human rights and international law and norms.

The AC and the CCM received a report from each of six Working Groups, that is, East Asian Environmental Cooperation (co-sponsored by Japan and Singapore), East Asian Financial Cooperation (sponsored by China), East Asian Investment Cooperation (sponsored by China), Enhancement of East Asian Cultural Exchange (sponsored by Korea), East Asian Cooperative Framework for Migrant Labor (co-sponsored by Malaysia and Philippines) and The Future Direction of NEAT (sponsored by Thailand), leading to lively discussions involving all participants.

The CCM also agreed to establish on "Editorial Committee" for the Official Website of NEAT and a "Drafting Committee" for the amendment of "The Basic Rules and Frameworks of NEAT".