The Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) is holding its fourth congress on 4–8 October 1996 in Beijing. The APSR is the only respiratory society formed entirely in the Asia‐Pacific region. The society is affiliated with the national thoracic societies from all the countries in the Asian Pacific region. Countries here have the fastest economic growth in the world and a commitment to social and health changes.An Asian Pacific Society, devoted to pulmonary medicine and science in this region, was first conceived when a steering committee of distinguished pulmonary physicians and scientists from the region met, with the participation of the American Thoracic Society, in Tokyo in August 1985. It had amongst its founding members many international experts in the respiratory field, such as Michiyoshi Harasawa, Shiro Kira, James Hogg, Ann Woolcock, Ken Moser, John Murray and Peter Macklem, to name but a few. The official name is the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, as this word means the science of respiration and includes all aspects of breathing. Dr Harasawa was the first president (1985–93); Dr Wan C Tan, the second president (199