The annual Bulletin on Asia-Pacific Perspectives 2003/2004 examines the effects on the region's outbreak of the SARS epidemic, trade expansion in the region and implications for SME financing. With the theme Asia-Pacific Economies: Maintaining Dynamism, issues raised in the Bulletin are related to global and regional interdependence and the promotion of sustainable development.

Articles provide a perspective on some of the major policy challenges facing countries in managing stable and equitable economic growth and social development against the backdrop of the Millennium Development Goals as well as unexpected, adverse external shocks. I. Global and regional economic developments: implications and prospects for the ESCAP region (Shahid Ahmed, ESCAP secretariat) II. Sustainable development – an Asian perspective (Bibek Debroy) III. Beyond “subsistence affluence”: poverty in Pacific island countries (Marin Yari, ESCAP secretariat) IV. The Bangkok Agreement: prospects for trade expansion in the Asia-Pacific region (Harish Iyer, ESCAP secretariat) V. Coping with epidemiological disease outbreaks: lessons from SARS (Amarakoon Bandara, ESCAP secretariat) VI. The development of e-financing: implications for SMEs (Seok-Dong Wang, ESCAP secretariat) VII. Basel II: the path to promoting financial stability in the Asian and Pacific region? (Lene Andersen)