Asia's spectacular rebound from its brutal crisis in 1997 should not lead to any underestimation of the profound transformations currently underway, nor to the outstanding risks still affecting the region.The exchange rate policies that were previously pegged to the dollar de facto have given way to more flexible, though not more stable regimes.In May 2000 at Chiang Mai, a decisive step was taken on the road to economic and financial cooperation among the "ASEAN + 3" countries.

- Do the prospects of such cooperation hold out more stability in the region?
- Do the multiplication of bilateral trade agreements presently under negotiation between Singapore, Japan, S. Korea etc. point the way to more intense regional, trade integration, which could be extended to the "ASEAN + 3" zone?
- What are the likely consequences of the rise in regionalism and China's membership of the WTO for multilateral trade and finance negotiations?

The colloquium will draw together numerous specialists to assess these issues and above all to examine the region's outlook, given its strategic importance in trade and investment.