Monetary cooperation in East Asia: A way forward

Abstract

This paper provides a theoretical justification for regional credit facilities such as currency swap arrangements in East Asia to ward off currency attacks and deter would be speculators. It also presents a case for monetary integration in East Asia. However, in view of the diverse economic, social and political background among the East Asian economies, a practical approach is to start off with a few small monetary unions rather than a large monetary union in the region. Lessons are drawn from a highly successful, but little known, monetary union between Brunei and Singapore.