Outlines programmes of the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre for the year ended 30 June 2007.

Many Commentators have declared the 21st Century to be the “Century of Asia”. The spectacular economic growth of China and the rapid growth of the Indian economy in the first seven years of this Century, together with the continuing strength of the economies of Malaysia and Singapore and the potential of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam serve to re-emphasise the importance of the activities of the Centre in deepening understanding and widening connections between Australia and the countries and cultures of Asia.

The Centre celebrated its tenth year anniversary in June of this year at its Annual Dinner in Sydney addressed by the Prime Minister, John Howard. The Prime Minister had launched the Centre in May 1997. He congratulated the Centre “on a decade of helping to build understanding in Australia of Asian countries”. The Centre also honoured Hugh Morgan AC, who after 10 years retired as Chairman of the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre. He is to be succeeded by Harrison Young, Non-Executive Director, Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

In Melbourne during May, the AustralAsia Centre and the Australia Philippines Business Council co-hosted a special dinner for the President of the Philippines, H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

During the financial year, the Centre further leveraged its connections with the Asia Society as a global institution by taking a delegation to the Asia Society’s Annual Corporate Conference held in Tokyo in May. The Centre also hosted the first of the Asia Society’s Bernard Schwartz Fellows, Sadanand Dhume and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri. The Centre also nominated a delegation of young Australian leaders to attend the first Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit organised by Asia Society New York and held in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The AustralAsia Centre took a delegation of its CEO members to Indonesia to meet with the President and key ministers of the Yudhoyono Government.
The Centre brought a new focus to Australia’s relationship with Japan. The Centre held a seminar on East Asian Economic Integration in conjunction with the Japan External Trade Organisation.

While the Centre’s objectives are by their nature continuous we can look back with great satisfaction on the results not only for the last year but also for our first decade.

From the introduction to the Annual Report 2007.

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