Asia Economic Community Forum to be Held on 5-6... Theme: 'Northeast Asia and Asian Community in the Era of Hyper-Uncertainty'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Asia Economy Community Foundation, a non-profit organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired by Professor Park Jehoon of Incheon National University, will hold a forum on June 5-6 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Incheon under the theme "Northeast Asia and the Asian Community in the Era of Hyper-Uncertainty."

The foundation launched the Asia Economy Community Forum (AECF) in 2009 with the vision of "making Incheon the central city of Asia and the Brussels of Asia," and has been hosting it since then.

Northeast Asia faces numerous crises stemming from various uncertainties, including the new Cold War era between the U.S. and China, economic disputes between Korea and Japan, and the rapidly progressing COVID-19 pandemic this year. The forum is expected to provide a platform to forecast the establishment of a new order on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia amid these uncertainties and to discuss the implications for Asian regional integration.

At the opening ceremony, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will deliver a keynote speech titled "Multilateralism and the Asian Community in the Era of Hyper-Uncertainty." Having often pointed out the absence of a regional cooperation body solely for the Asia-Pacific, Ban is expected to propose the formation of a "Northeast Asian Regional Cooperation Body" to resolve issues such as the North Korean nuclear problem and the U.S.-China hegemonic competition.

At the general assembly held under the theme "The Political Economy of Regional Integration from the Comparative Perspective of Northeast Asia and Europe," Professor Gerard Roland of Berkeley University will present on "China's Geopolitical Ambitions in Asia and the World in the COVID Era," and former UN Deputy Secretary-General Kim Wonsu will discuss the possibilities of establishing a new order in Northeast Asia under the theme "Future Directions of Northeast Asian Cooperation."

Finally, Philip Lombardi, Director of the Comparative Regional Integration Institute at the United Nations University, will analyze overall trends in global regionalism with a presentation titled "Transition or Return from Old Regionalism to New Regionalism?"

This event is co-hosted by 11 domestic and international organizations and academic societies, including the American Comparative Economics Association, the Japanese Comparative Economics Association, and the Emerging Economies Association, with support from five institutions including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Incheon City.

Over two days, a total of 42 papers will be presented across 15 sessions. The University Student Model Asian Union Conference (MAU), organized by the Youth Committee under the Asia Economy Community Foundation, will award the Ban Ki-moon Center for Global Citizens Prize to the best participant. The conference will discuss visions for Asian regional integration and the role of youth.

On the 6th, Professor Park Jehoon of Incheon National University, chair of the Asia Economy Community Foundation which hosts the forum, will announce the "2020 Incheon Declaration," emphasizing that "to eliminate hyper-uncertainty surrounding the Korean Peninsula, hyper-cooperative leadership based on community spirit is urgently needed," summarizing the forum discussions over the two days.

The forum will be conducted in a hybrid format combining online and on-site participation due to COVID-19. Major sessions will be broadcast live on YouTube.

Meanwhile, the forum will also celebrate the launch of a new journal, Asia and the Global Economy (AGE), published by the renowned international publisher Elsevier.

Since 2017, the Asia Economy Community Foundation has been preparing to publish an SSCI-level international journal based on accumulated AECF activities. AGE will serve as the official journal of the Asia Economy Community Foundation and Incheon National University.