The high plateaus in west China may provide suitable sites for astronomical observations with the institute's middle-range telescopes and possibly with larger telescopes. Under China-Japan collaborations for site survey in west China, we have been conducting searches for good sites and monitoring their characteristics over several years. As recent results of our site survey show, sites in west Tibet are revealed with a high possibility of good astronomical observations. Weather characteristics at Gar in Ali, Tibet, show its high clear-sky ratios, especially in winter, com- parable to Mauna Kea, Hawaii. But it has some wind problem in winter, where stronger wind speeds, over 20m/sec, occur frequently even though the sky is clear. To find calmer sites, we have conducted numerical simulations for the Ali area using the Japan Meteorological Agency NonHydrostatic Model. We have found another site, named ZoZo Hill, near Gar. We will continue to monitor the Gar site to clarify weather characteristics over the whole year and hopefully start to negotiate for site monitoring at ZoZo Hill this year.

We overview and discuss the IAU today from the viewpoint of its regions based on historical and statis- tical data, and consider the status and future of astronomy in the Asian-Pacific region. New activities of the IAU, the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) and the Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) for the future evolution of astronomy are introduced. We also review the recent developments in astron- omy in the Asian-Pacific region, and emphasize the importance of regional cooperation and coordination for the future.

I report here about the future direction of cooperation of astronomy in East Asia region, which has been a long-years subject of the EAMA since 1990. During this EAMA-6 we had many positive discussions and remarkable progress toward the promotion of our cooperation. We also had an 'East Asian Observatory' WG meeting yesterday with many attendants, and actively discussed this important subject in some detail. The following report is to summarize the fruitful products we had in the EAMA-6 discussions and in past EAMA activities, and to propose a direction and some action items toward the bright future of astronomy in East Asia.