The 27th ASEAN Summit and 10th East Asia Summit were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 20-22 November 2015. The summits, which focused on the launch of a unified ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), gave ERIA the opportunity to communicate the Institute's research activities on the AEC with the heads of state of ASEAN member countries and business leaders in the Asian region.

Highlights

ERIA Flagship Report Launched

ERIA submitted its flagship report, The Comprehensive Asian Development Plan 2.0 (CADP 2.0), to the 10th East Asia Summit,  which was formally launched at the ASEAN Business Investment Summit on 20 November.

CADP 2.0 expands the framework of the original version of CADP to a new development strategy that guides the prioritisation and selection of hard and soft infrastructure projects for connectivity and innovation. CADP 2.0 also highlights the importance of the quality of infrastructure and the quality of infrastructure projects. It further underscores the economic benefits of investing in physical infrastructure, reducing non-tariff institutional and regulatory barriers, and developing special economic zones in CLMV countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam).

‘The ASEAN region needs to emphasise both physical infrastructure and reduction in institutional and regulatory barriers in order to boost GDP,’ said Prof. Nishimura at the ASEAN Business Investment Summit.

Japan's Prime Minister Mentions ERIA

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe highlighted ERIA's work in his speech at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on 21 November.

Asia has infrastructure demand expected to reach as much as 100 trillion yen annually. There is a plan for high-speed rail to connect Malaysia and Singapore totalling more than 1 trillion yen. The large-scale, state-of-the-art coal-fired thermal power station planned for India's southeast region is a project that will exceed 500 billion yen. In Indonesia too there are plans for liquefied natural gas development at a scale exceeding 1 trillion yen. All of these are important projects that are also incorporated in the plans by ERIA.

ERIA Cited in Chairmen’s Statements

The Chairman's Statement of the 10TH East Asia Summit in paragraph 13 recognised the potential contribution of ERIA's CADP 2.0 to the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. The statement also mentioned ERIA related activities in paragraphs 4 and 5.

4. We welcomed the extension of the Plan of Action (POA) to implement the Phnom Penh Declaration on the East Asia Summit Development Initiative until the end of 2017. We acknowledged that the POA is a comprehensive document aimed at enhancing EAS cooperation in the six priority areas of energy; education; finance; global health including pandemics; environment and disaster management; and ASEAN Connectivity.

Energy

5. The Leaders affirmed the importance of continued efforts towards improved energy access and energy affordability, addressing regional energy security and sustainability challenges, promoting high quality energy infrastructure and keeping energy markets transparent and competitive. In this regard, the Leaders underscored the importance of clean energy, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technology applications to meet the rising energy demand of the EAS region, and particularly stressed the usefulness of sharing energy supply and demand outlooks across the EAS region to provide input for energy analysis and policy formulation to better understand potential impacts of supply shocks and disasters.

ASEAN Connectivity

13. We noted the commendable progress achieved in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. Bearing in mind that ASEAN is in the process of drawing up a new Connectivity plan for the next decade, the Leaders took note of the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, and looked forward to the early establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the implementation of the Partnership for Quality Infrastructure. We took note of the Comprehensive Asia Development Plan 2.0 (CADP 2.0) by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and its potential contribution towards this process. We encouraged ERIA to continue its support to the Chair of the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit.

The Chairman's Statement of the 27th ASEAN Summit recognised the ERIA-sponsored event, the 6th ASEAN Connectivity Symposium.

97. We welcomed the convening of the 6th ASEAN Connectivity Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 16 October 2015 with the theme The Connectivity Agenda for an Integrated ASEAN Community, which provided a platform for discussions and exchange of views in identifying the best framework in preparing a post-2015 ASEAN Connectivity Agenda. We acknowledged on-going efforts in formulating a post-2015 Agenda for ASEAN Connectivity and looked forward to its adoption in 2016 and subsequent implementation.