members (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) brought more diversity. Heterogeneity would increase even further with the addition of the "PlusThree" (ASEAN-Plus-Three or APT) countries of China, Japan and South Korea. China's enormous population of 1.3 billion people dwarfs that of every other APT country. Japan's GNI per capita does the same for income, although on a PPP basis it is not far above that of Singapore (1999).

The effect of adding the Plus-Three countries to ASEAN is immediately visible in the comparison of regional groups at the bottom of Table 2.1. GNI in absolute terms is $530 billion for ASEAN but jumps to $5,962 billion for ASEAN+3, over ten times greater. Of course, this difference is primarily due to Japan's enormous GNI level of $4,055 billion. On a PPP basis, however, the GNI level of ASEAN+3 is six times that of ASEAN due more to China's $4,452 billion than to Japan's lower $3,186 billion. However, when China's enormous population is taken into account (in the GNI per capita figures), its level drops far below that of Japan - even on a PPP basis.

Taking the analysis one step further to include all the countries in APEC, the level of diversity increases even more, particularly with the addition of the United States. In addition to the increasedL heterogeneity in the ethnic, religious and political mix of APEC, the overall economic developmental level of the group shifts considerably. With the exclusion of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar (not members of APEC) and the inclusion of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the pendulum swings towards the more economically developed side. Thus the shift from ASEAN+3 to APEC leaves behind the smaller economies of East Asia and includes some much larger economies outside the region.

Some perspective can be gained through comparisons with the EU nations. Indicators of the EU's economic size for 1999 appear in Table 2.2 below.

Table 2.2

||||**Sizeoft **<br>**_opulation**|**heEUEconomy**<br>1999|||**prir**<br>**P**<br>Irer|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Area<br>1000Km'|Population<br>(millions)|Density<br>(perKm')|GNI<br>(USSbillions)|GNIper capita<br>(US$)|PPPGNI<br>(USSbillions)|capita<br>**(USS)**|
|Austria|**84**|8.0|**98**|205.7|25,430|199|24,600|
|Belgium|**33**|10.0|**312**|252.1|24,650|**263**|25,710|
|**Denmark**|**43**|5.0|**126**|170.7|**32.050**|**13i**|25,600|
|**Finland**|**338**|5.0|17|127.8|24,730|117|22,600|
|France|552|59.0|107|1,453.2|24,170|1,349|23,020|
|**Germany**|**357**|**82.0**|**235**|**2,103.8**|**25.620**|**1,930**|**23,510**|
|**Greece**|**132**|11.0|**82**|**127.6**|**12,110**|166|15,800|
|**Ireland**|**70**|4.0|54|80.6|21,470|84|22.460|
|**Italy**|**301**|58.0|**196**|1,162.9|20,170|1,268|22,000|
|Luxembourg|**3**|0.4|166|18.6|42,930|18|41,230|
|Netherlands|41|16.0|466|397.4|25,140|386|24,410|
|Pcrtugal|**92**|10.0|**109**|**110.2**|**11,030**|**158**|**15,860**|
|**Spain**|**506**|**39.0**|**79**|**583.1**|**14,800**|**704**|**17,85**|
|**Sweden**|**450**|**9.0**|**22**|**236.9**|**26,750**|**196**|**22,150**|
|UnitedKingdom|**245**|60.0|**246**|1,403.8|23,590|1.322|22,220|
|TotalEU|**3,247**|376.4|1161|<br>8,434.4|**22,408**|**8,296**|**22,04i**|
|**GNI**=grossnation<br>Source:TheWorld|<br>alIncome;**GNI**<br> Bank.**Worid**D|**per**capitaIscalc<br>evelopmentIndic|ulated using**the** <br>ators**2001**|<br>WoridBank Atlas|<br>method;PPPispurc|<br>hasing**pawer parity**|**.**|

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