With regional giants like China and India leading the way, it seems certain that a geopolitical power shift from the West to the East is inevitable.

The role of ASEAN amid this evolving landscape as well as the recovery from the recent global financial crisis is fast becoming a key issue for businesses and governments in the region.

As the momentum of global leadership shifts from the West to the East, traditional groupings such as the G7 appear to have accepted the need to share responsibility of world economic policy with the G20, which seats nine APEC members as well as the ASEAN Chair.

Some are also arguing that US President Barack Obama appears to have charted a more subtle, strategic course for America’s diplomacy in Asia, with visible and critical implications.

ASEAN remains at the center of many multilateral institutions in East Asia, but there has been recent pressure to rethink its role, with calls for a new regional institution or community.

These developments suggest that ASEAN and Asia are likely to find themselves taking on new roles in the coming decade, and that such roles may be increasingly significant regionally and globally.

With this in mind, the 3rd ASEAN and Asia Forum aims to share insights and critical perspectives about the region’s economic and political conditions, and also address new challenges ahead for the people of ASEAN and Asia.