DATE:		October 25, 2001

TO:		US-ASEAN Business Council Members

FROM:		John Goyer
		Director, Regional Affairs
		US-ASEAN Business Council
		Tel:  (202) 416-6706
		Fax: (202) 289-0519
		E-Mail: jgoyer@usasean.org
		Best Business Briefing on the ASEAN Region:
www.us-asean.org

RE:		ASEAN Update: 
		1.  Save the date: ASEAN-US Dialogue to be held in
Washington, Nov 29
		2.  Brunei to host ASEAN Summit, Nov 5-6.

	1.	Save the date: ASEAN-US Dialogue, Nov 29 to be held in
Washington, DC.  The ASEAN-US Dialogue, a government-to-government forum
led by the U.S. Department of State and the ASEAN Foreign Ministries, is
the main channel for U.S. government engagement with ASEAN as a regional
entity.  The Dialogue covers a broad agenda of economic, political, and
security issues.
	
	The U.S. official delegation will be led by Jim Kelly, Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific.  Representatives of
the U.S. Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representatives Office will
also participate.  The official ASEAN Delegation will include senior
officials from all ten countries' foreign ministries.  
	
	The US-ASEAN Business Council takes the lead in coordinating
U.S. private sector input into the Dialogue, and we are encouraging
members to take advantage of this forum, which provides an opportunity
for Council members to brief both the U.S. and ASEAN governments on
issues that affect business on a regional basis. Some of the issues that
Council members have raised at past dialogues include Information
Technology / electronic commerce, regional customs issues, air services
liberalization, the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), and other topics.
For your reference, the highlights from the last ASEAN-US Dialogue, held
in May 2000, are on the Council's Web site at
<http://www.us-asean.org/ASEANOverview/dialogue2000/joint_private_sector
_statement.htm>. 
	
	A formal invitation will follow within the next several days.
In the interim, if your company is interested in participating, please
contact me.  
	
	2.	ASEAN Summit, November 5-6, 2001.  Brunei will host the
7th ASEAN Summit, at which the ten ASEAN heads of government will meet
on November 5-6, 2001.  The Summit will be followed by the ASEAN + 3
Summit and ASEAN +1 Summits, which will include the ASEAN heads of
government and their counterparts from China, Japan and Korea. 
	
	While much of the discussion will focus on cooperation against
terrorism, the economic portion of the Summit's agenda is expected to
include a report by the ASEAN-China experts group.  Since last year,
this group has been undertaking a preliminary study on an ASEAN-China
free trade area, and the group is expected to recommend that
negotiations commence.  ASEAN officials have indicated to us that the
focus will be less on tariffs and more on joint economic cooperation,
non-tariff barriers, and other areas.   There are no significant new
announcements expected regarding the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and
the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA).  
	
	The official web site of the 7th ASEAN Summit can be found at:
<http://www.aseansummit2001.org.bn/>.

End memo.


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If you need assistance in the region, please contact:

	US-ASEAN Business Council, Singapore
	Stephen Pattillo
	Tel: [65] 339-8885
	Fax: [65] 339-1982
	E-Mail: srpasean@pacific.net.sg
	
	US-ASEAN Business Council, Philippines
	Philip Gielczyk
	Tel: [632] 895-4333
	Fax: [632] 895-3007
	E-Mail: pgielczyk@pacific.net.ph

	US-ASEAN Business Council, Indonesia
	David Hutagalung
	Tel: [6221] 573-0407
	Fax: [6221] 574-4981
	E-Mail: dhutagalung@usasean.org