On October 29, an AMRO delegation led by Jae Young Lee, Group Head and Lead Economist, paid a courtesy visit to Yu Miaojie, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Liaoning University. Their exchange focused on China’s economic development. Read more about the visit here.

AMRO Director Kouqing Li led an AMRO delegation to Washington, D.C., participating in the 2024 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank (WB) Annual Meetings. The delegation paid courtesy calls to IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li, WB Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer Wencai Zhang, and WB Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Indermit Gill. They also met with heads of IMF’s regional and functional departments and representatives of ASEAN+3 member authorities in the two institutions. They exchanged views on key economic and financial issues, and provided updates on the developments of AMRO and the ASEAN+3 Regional Financing Arrangements (RFAs).

On September 4, on the sidelines of AMRO’s annual mission to the Philippines, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor led a courtesy visit to Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters. They met with ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and Chief Economist Albert Park and exchanged insights on the region’s economic outlook, shared updates on work priorities and regional financing arrangements, and discussed possible joint research collaborations on areas of common interest such as climate change, aging, digitalization and AI.

On August 26, AMRO Director Kouqing Li participated in the Financial Leadership Programme (FLP) organized by @Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF) where he spoke about AMRO’s role in safeguarding the financial stability and resilience of the #ASEANplus3 region and in supporting the region’s financial safety net, the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation #CMIM.

Launched in 2022, the FLP aims to nurture the next generation of top financial leaders by offering financial professionals strategic insights into global economic trends and leadership development.

On August 13, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Deputy Director Tetsuya Utamura paid a courtesy call on World Bank Singapore Director Julia M. Fraser, who was joined by Senior Country Officer Daniel A. Levine. They exchanged updates on both institutions’ strategic and operational priorities, and proposed possible areas of partnership, particularly in joint research and capacity building. We thank World Bank colleagues in Singapore for the warm welcome and collaborative discussion.

On August 2, AMRO Director Kouqinq Li and Deputy Director Dong-ick Kim welcomed Korea Ministry of Economy and Finance Deputy Minister Jiyoung Choi to AMRO. Both sides discussed key policy agenda of the ASEAN+3 Finance Process and pledged to further strengthen bilateral cooperation to safeguard the macroeconomic and financial stability and resilience of the region.

On August 2, AMRO hosted students from the Thammasat University Faculty of Law.

AMRO Deputy Director Tetsuya Utamura welcomed Thammasat University Assistant Dean for Quality Assurance & Deputy Director of International Programs, Dr. Keerakiat Pratai, and students. During the visit, Mr. Utamura and Mr. Luke Hong, AMRO Group Head and Lead Economist for Fiscal Surveillance gave presentations on global tax reform and #ASEANplus3 fiscal landscape, respectively.

On July 30, we warmly welcomed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Liqun Jin and AIIB colleagues to the AMRO office. AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor hosted the AIIB delegation where both organizations exchanged views on recent economic developments and challenges in the region, and discussed opportunities for partnership and cooperation toward safeguarding ASEAN+3’s macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability.

On July 11, AMRO CMIM Lead Specialist Beomhee Han hosted student visitors on a study trip organized by the Namwon Office of Education, Jeollabukdo State and shared more about AMRO.

On June 17, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor paid a courtesy visit to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) headquarters in Beijing. During the visit, Dr Khor presented the key insights from AMRO’s ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook (AREO) 2024 report to AIIB colleagues. AIIB Director General of Strategy, Policy and Budget Department, Quan Zheng and Director Li delivered opening remarks.

On June 11, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor paid a courtesy call on China Ministry of Finance Vice Minister Min Liao. They exchanged views on China’s economic situation and outlook, discussed regional integration and cooperation and AMRO’s role in safeguarding ASEAN+3’s macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability, as well as exchanged thoughts on China’s ASEAN+3 Co-chairmanship in 2025.

On June 5, China Ministry of Finance Vice Minister Zhongming Zhu visits the AMRO office and is warmly welcomed by AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Deputy Directors Dong-Ick Kim and Tetsuya Utamura. During his visit, Mr. Zhu and AMRO senior management team discussed the latest economic developments in China and ASEAN+3 and reaffirmed their commitment to work closely together toward the region’s macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability.

AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Deputy Director Tetsuya Utamura warmly welcomed Bank of Japan Deputy Director-General for Asian Affairs, International Department, Hiroto Uehara to our office today. Mr Uehara is also a member of AMRO’s Executive Committee. Both institutions discussed priority initiatives this year and reaffirmed their strong commitment toward contributing to the macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability of the ASEAN+3 region.

On May 6, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor visited the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute in Urumqi, China and met with CAREC Institute Deputy Director One, Huang Jingjing; Chief Economist, Hans Holzhacker; and colleagues.

AMRO and CAREC are mandated to promote #economic stability in their respective regions. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on regional economic developments and shared knowledge on research and strategy. We thank colleagues at the CAREC Institute for the warm welcome and candid discussions.

On the sidelines of the 27th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting or AFMGM+3 and ADB Annual Meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, AMRO Director Kouqing Li delivered congratulatory remarks at the ASEAN+3-ADB Joint Seminar: Future Financial Landscape Driven by AI and Fintech Innovations. The seminar discussed the impact of AI and fintech innovations on the financial industry and how regulators could drive collaborative efforts to harmonize policies in the borderless digital world. AMRO Group Head and Lead Economist Kevin Cheng participated in the panel discussions.

AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor paid a courtesy visit to the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) at their headquarters in Abu Dhabi. They were warmly welcomed by AMF Counsellor and Chief Economist Dr Maher Sheikh Hasan and AMF colleagues. During the visit, Dr. Khor presented the latest findings of AMRO’s flagship report, the ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook or AREO. Both sides exchanged views on strategic priorities and explored areas of collaboration, particularly initiatives aimed at fostering regional financial stability and economic resilience.

During his trip to Beijing from March 25-26, AMRO Director Kouqing Li met with China Ministry of Finance Director General Zhijun Cheng, People’s Bank of China Deputy Director General Jin Chen, Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences (CAFS) President Shangxi Liu, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Liqun Jin, and Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance CEO Zhongjing Wang. He held meaningful dialogues with them on areas for collaboration and policy developments in the ASEAN+3 region.

On March 12, AMRO hosted a group of more than 20 students from the Singapore Management University Economics Intelligence Club (SEIC) and briefed them on its history, mandates and the ASEAN+3 Finance Process. The students appreciated the presentations and had an interactive exchange with AMRO on its core functions and initiatives.

AMRO hosted Asian Development Bank (ADB) colleagues at our office on February 27 to learn more about their latest publication, Asian Economic Integration Report 2024: Decarbonizing Global Value Chains.

After the seminar, AMRO Director Kouqing Li and Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor had a bilateral discussion with ADB Chief Economist Albert Park on deepening our partnership and collaboration on key areas of common interest.

 

On February 26, AMRO hosted the Council on International Financial Cooperation (CIFC) Knowledge Sharing Seminar on Korea’s Financial Infrastructure. The seminar covered Korea’s financial landscape,  CIFC’s introduction, the pivotal roles of the Deposit Insurance Corporation, open banking infrastructure, an overview of public and financial data, and detailed insights into KODIT’s P-CBO Guarantee System.

CIFC in Korea is a non-profit voluntary organization housed within the Korea Institute of Finance (KIF) and under the advisement of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), dedicated to strengthening bases for global financial cooperation by sharing Korea’s financial experiences and best practices to the world.

AMRO Director Kouqing Li welcomed Soyoung Kim, Vice Chairman, Financial Services Commission of Korea; Jongkyu Park, President, KIF; Walter Hyunsuk Cho, Manager, Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation; and their delegation.

On February 21, AMRO Deputy Director, Tetsuya Utamura, warmly welcomed Tadashi Yokoyama, Director of the Tokyo Office at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to our office. Director Yokoyama played a significant role in the ASEAN+3 financial cooperation process from 2013 to 2015 and co-chaired the ASEAN+3 Task Force in 2014. During his office tour, he joyfully greeted many old friends.

From left: Tetsuya Utamura, Deputy Director, AMRO; Tadashi Yokoyama, Director of the Tokyo Office, IFC; Hiromi Ozawa, Group Head for Budget, HR & Support Service, AMRO

On February 7, AMRO Deputy Director Tetsuya Utamura (third from left) extended a warm welcome to Professor Eiji Ogawa (fourth from left) from Tokyo Keizai University at our office in Singapore. Engaging discussions unfolded on regional financing arrangements and updates on the regional economy, with the participation of AMRO Surveillance and CMIM staff.