The Forum concept was established last year by the Governments of New Zealand and Australia, in order to share the two countries’ deep experience of integration with ASEAN members as their own regional integration process continues.
New
Zealand and Australia have been working towards
a Single Economic Market across the Tasman for over thirty years. 
“Southeast Asia has an ambitious timetable to create the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. Even though we are different in many ways, Australia, New Zealand, and the countries of ASEAN have experiences to share. There is no monopoly on good ideas”, said New Zealand Trade Minister, Mr Tim Groser.
The keynote speaker will be the Chief Economist from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia. The event will focus on trade in services. In the coming century, services trade will be the engine that drives the global economy, and Asia will be the world’s economic powerhouse. So this is a vital area for ASEAN.
Governments have an important job to do to make the environment for business more predictable and less burdensome, at home and abroad.
“We have done that with CER – and created a springboard to other markets. ASEAN has enormous potential to do the same. A dynamic, fully integrated Southeast Asia is good for ASEAN and good for New Zealand and Australia”, added Mr Groser.
The initiative complements the landmark ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) concluded in 2009.
Once signing this FTA, involving sides had acknowledged that regional economic integration is the best way to deliver sustained economic growth. This is a practical way to swap ideas on how to take the next steps towards wider economic integration most effectively.
The first Forum was held in Kuala Lumpur in June 2011./.
CPV
