China's impact on regionalism in east Asia

Abstract

This paper is concerned with exploring the post-Cold War role that China has assumed in East Asia and how it has contributed to the informal regionalism that has defined the region. East Asia’s informal regionalism has been predicated upon concerns regarding national sovereignty as well as historical and cultural differences, which has created challenges for creating a conflict-free regional dialogue that can work to address the region’s often interdependent economic and security interests. By placing East Asia within a historical perspective, China’s impact on the general concept of East Asian regionalism, economic and security regionalism, the “crisis-driven” model of East Asian regionalism, and on the emergence of an effective regional leader is examined. Moving forward, this paper puts forth considerations regarding the future of East Asia in terms of dealing with China’s growing power and aspirations, the consolidation of its regional dialogue, and furthering the region’s mutually advantageous economic and security cooperation.