This publication from the Council for Asia-Europe Cooperation (CAEC), launched in May 1996 by major policy research institutions in Asia and Europe to promote policy-oriented intellectual exchange between the two regions, is the culmination of nearly two years of study by five teams of Asian and European experts. In one of the first attempts to analyze the necessity of Asia-Europe cooperation, and certainly the most comprehensive, nine authors examine in five reports the rationale for facilitating greater cooperation between the two regions and the common agenda that should be addressed.
The authors discuss the geopolitical, political and economic security, economic and business, institutional, and societal dimensions of cooperation in the context of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Their overview chapter suggests a structure for ASEM cooperative activities and lists some priorities for future work.
The Japan Center for International Exchange is the Asian secretariat of CAEC. The International Institute for Strategic Studies in London acts as European secretariat.