I am happy to attend the GPAC 2010 meeting which will be held in Vietnam University in Hanoi. This is partly because it is the first opportunity for me to visit Vietnam, and  also because we are impressed by the earnest preparation of Vietnam students and professors to organize this meeting in Hanoi. Vietnam is an important country in Asia with a viable and vigorous economy and diligent and sensible people. I am particularly thankful for the cordial invitation of president Prof.Phung Xuan Nha and Prof. Nguyen Thuy Linh to make my first visit to this wonderful country possible.

The GPAC was initiated more than a decade ago, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall. Professor Min Sang-Kee and I happened to have met in Hawaii at an academic conference and agreed to have a regular and academic student conference by Japanese and Korean universities. Our common concern and hope were that it was a sensible time to initiate a join joint activity between young people of the two countries, which had been divided deeply politically and mentally during the “cold war” period in spite of their geographical and cultural closeness. We started the activity by holding a conference in Tokyo and Seoul in turn. As we continued the activity, other universities such as Yonsei University, Meio University, National Chengchi University, Cheju National University joined one after another, and the movement developed to enroll some 150 participants from three or four countries. We are excited and look forward to joining our friends again from Korea, Taiwan and Japan at a wonderful place of Vietnam University in Hanoi this summer.

 In terms of the subject of discussion, the global economic environment has changed somewhat in a better direction than last year. The global economy has been recovering slowly from the disastrous damage in the wake of the financial crisis and the subsequent depression.  The challenge which many economies is faced is how to substantiate the recovery and also find out the sensible timing and means of exit in terms of both financial and fiscal policies. At the same time, there has been visible shift of the center of gravity of economic activities toward Asian region.  Many Asian countries are now under keen focus of the global community.  New horizons of economic activities and social trends are unfolding in the world and in particular in Asian regions. We are faced with new challenges to innovate and create new paradigms in the areas of new energy, environmental protection, tourism, management strategies, employment and social enterprises etc.

 It is a wonderful and meaningful challenge for students of different countries with different historical and cultural backgrounds, different thoughts and ideals to get together in the unique arrangement of the GPAC and discuss seriously issues of their common concern to create a better future for the Asia and also for the world.

 We, professors, are honored and privileged to share the time and opportunities together in Hanoi with these students who are sure to bear important roles in the future to construct a new global community.