The Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office ( Amro ) and 20 leading research institutions have launched the Asean+3 Finance Think-tank Network ( AFTN ) to foster cooperation and research towards regional macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability.

Under the AFTN memorandum of cooperation, the network members pledge to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in areas of common interest through joint research, dialogues, knowledge exchange and the mobilization of regional research resources.

The AFTN, an initiative under Amro’s Strategic Direction 2030, serves as a platform for regional cooperation and dialogue and as an intellectual resource to contribute to the macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability in the Asean+3 region – that is, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus China, South Korea and Japan.

“Addressing the complex and evolving challenges we are facing today calls for broader and deeper regional cooperation,” says Kouqing Li, Amro’s director. “By establishing the AFTN, Amro and network members from across Asean+3 aim to bolster knowledge exchange and generate innovative ideas and solutions towards safeguarding the region’s macroeconomic and financial resilience and stability.”