Regionalism in Asia: One Building Site, Three Patterns

For a decade now, Asia's regionalism has been in mutation. There has been a proliferation of economic agreements & institutional arrangements bundled together without much coherence. These regional dynamics reflect the diversity in understanding & interests among Asia's great power & have resulted in a form of regionalism different from past American & European experience but which ultimate form remains uncertain. This uncertainty comes from the confrontation of American, Chinese & Japanese views of the optimal institutional arrangement for Asia which leaves the ASEAN as Asia's regionalism cornerstone. This paper first reviews different theoretical views of the "New Regionalism" in Asia & compares the approach of the regions' main powers & then concludes that Asia's regionalism institutional forms are rising from the pacific coexistence & competition of various visions & practices of regionalism: the ASEAN+3 (favored by China), the Asian Summit (favored by Japan) & the Asia-Pacific (favored by the US). References. Adapted from the source document.