The East Asian Bureau of Economic Research is a forum for high-quality economic research focussing on issues facing the economies of East Asia. It comprises representatives from Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. The rapid development of the East Asian economies, the growth of intra-regional trade, financial and other economic interaction, and East Asia's new role in the global economy all underline the need for access to a vastly increased range of quality economic analysis on East Asia.

Such analysis from both inside and outside government is essential to assist policymakers in responding to, and anticipating, issues confronting the East Asian economy. Quality economic analysis is essential to assist policymakers in responding to new issues as they arise. EABER will provide research support for policymakers, improve links between researchers throughout the region, and create venues where researchers and policymakers can come together to discuss issues vital to economic development in East Asia.

For Working Papers from EABER Projects and Internal Conference Series click here.


The EABER-SABER Newsletter

January 2010
Fixing China's Current Account Surplus
Yiping Huang*

China's current account surplus has been the subject of fierce debate in recent times, with politicians in the United States and Western Europe often criticising China's rigid exchange rate regime. The argument runs that, by artificially depressing the value of the renminbi (RMB), China took jobs away from its trading partners.

Rapid growth in China's current account surplus is, in fact, a relatively recent phenomenon. During the second half of the 1980s, China maintained persistent trade and current account deficits . The sharpest rise in current account surplus occurred after 2004. Within three years, the surpluses jumped from 3.5 per cent of GDP in 2004 to 10.8 per cent in 2007. In 2008, external demand was severely cut by the global crisis. But China's current account surplus still... (Read more)

*Yiping Huang, Professor in the Chinese Center for Economic Research at Peking University and in the China Economy Program at the Australian National University.


SABER Paper of the Month

Health Care Services and Government Spending in Pakistan
By Muhammad Akram and Faheem Jehangir Khan, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics


News

Conference: Asian Economic Integration: Policy, Institutions and Structural Reform
11-12 February, 2010, Canberra
Click here for the Conference Programme
Click here for the Participant Profiles

The East Asia Forum (located at eastasiaforum.org) has daily content from experts in different fields drawn from across the globe. It provides a platform for the best in East Asian analysis, research and policy comment on the Asia-Pacific region and world affairs.

New Publication: Institutions for Economic Reform in Asia by Philippa Dee (Ed.)
For more details visit the EABER Bookstore here or view the publisher's site here