Regional Cooperation/

Integration: Comparing

NorthEast Asia and

SouthEast Asia

International Political Economy PresentationSorrel Magenta Linsley, LI Xiaoyu, Kohei Nakajima, Reo Takano, Chang Ta-Chien

Introduction: What is Regional Cooperation?

Definition: Regional Cooperation refers to the political and institutional mechanisms that countries in a

general geographical region devise to find and strengthen common interests as well as promoting their

national interests, through mutual cooperation and dialogue.

Key Words: Regionalism, Trade, Free Trade Agreements, ASEAN

Countries in Southeast Asia: Burma, Laos, Vietnam,

Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,

Brunei, Philippines, East Timor

Countries in Northeast Asia: China, Japan, Mongolia,

North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong

Levels of commitment required by Regionalism

・Preferential trade agreements

・Free-trade area

・Custom union

・Common market

・Economic union

Why is it needed? / Why does it happen?

・Liberalization of movement and communication

・Contribution to the development of academics; Science

・Security with collective defense

・Maintenance of infrastructure and social system

・Economic development

NorthEast Asia

Compare with SouthEast Asia, NorthEast Asia does not have a clearly bonded

Union to support economic growth.

Possible Reasons can be:

1. Territorial dispute, national conflicta. Taiwan and China

b. North Korea and South Korea

2. Self economic developmenta. national brand power

b. labor force

Taiwan Strait & Senkaku Island

silk road and one belt one road

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

・Established in 1967 in Bangkok by five founding nations: Indonesia, Malaysia,

Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand with Bangkok Declaration.

(now 10 member states including Brunei, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia)

・Aims and Purposes:

Cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other

fields.

Promotion of regional peace and stability.

1M170465-7 Reo Takano

ASEAN's features

・Inclusiveness

Diversity of member nations (Political/Economical/Social aspects)

・"ASEAN Way"

State sovereignty and the principle of non-interference

Consensus in making decisions

Mutual understanding through dialogue and consultation

・ASEAN Motto

= "One Vision, One Identity, One Community"

ASEAN Structure and institutionalization

・ASEAN Summit (and Coordinating Council)

1997 Adoption of the "ASEAN Vision 2020" (and Asian currency crisis)

2003 Decision to establ communities (at Bali Summit)

2008 Enactment of the ASEAN Charter

2015 AEC was established

1976 1st Summit at Bali

1995- Take place annually

・The ASEAN Community:

Political - Security/ Economic/ Socio - Cultural Community

Relationship with Northeast Asia

・ASEAN + 3 (APT)

ASEAN + China, Japan, and South Korea

Triggered by the Asian currency crisis in 1997

Broadened and deepened cooperation (Political-

Security, Economic and Finance, Environment and Development, Technology,

etc.)

・East Asian Summit (EAS)

APT members + Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States, and Russia

Future prospect for establishment of East Asian Community

Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)

LI, Xiaoyu 1m141087

● a non-governmental and non-profit organization

● Leaders from government, business and academia

● Asia and other continents

● Modelled on World Economic Forum

● Formally inaugurated in 2001

● Annual conference since 2002

● Pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world large

What is BFA?

Goals

● Promote asian cooperation

● Build asian consensus

● Make asian voice heard

References

MacIntyre, Andrew; T. J. Pempel and John Ravenhill (eds.) (2008) Crisis as Catalyst: Asia’s Dynamic Political Economy, NY: Cornell

University Press.

Pempel, T. J. (eds.) (2005) Remapping East Asia: The Construction of a Region, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Ravenhill, John (2010) ‘The “New East Asian Regionalism”: A Political Domino Effect’, Review of International Political Review, 17(2):

178-208.

Solis, Mireya; Barbara Stallings and Saori N. Katada (eds.) (2009) Competitive Regionalism: FTA Diffusion in the Pacific Rim,

Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Yoshimatsu, Hidetaka (2014) Comparing Institution-Building in East Asia: Power Politics, Governance, and Critical Junctures,

Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Asean Website: http://asean.org/

BFA Website: http://english.boaoforum.org/

Amako, S., Matsuoka, S., & Horiuchi, K. (2013). Regional Integration in East Asia Theoretical and Historical Perspective. Japan: United

Nations University Press.