Regional Integration in Asia and Europe - Foundation Office China
Event Reports
Regional cooperation seems to be the key to solve many current political and economic problems - not only in Europe. But how could this cooperation be institutionalized? Does the growing number of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements lead to a closer political cooperation, too? To what extend should regional powers act as leaders in this process? The current conflicts in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia, the current crisis on Crimea, but also the consequences of the euro crisis in the EU member states, clearly show the limitations of regional cooperation, too.
Around 50 participants, most of them junior scientists from Europe and Asia, discussed questions about regional integration processes and looked into the role of external stakeholders in Asia, such as the EU and the United States. The increasing role of sub-state-actors was also discussed.
In the opening session of the conference an expert panel, chaired by Dr. Peter Hefele, director of KAS Shanghai, discussed the opportunities and challenges for further regional integration in Europe and Asia: confidence building in the context of historical burdens; the role of non-state actors; but also to the collaboration between neighboring states beyond pure commercial interests. Professor Dr. Klaus Segbers, director of the Center for Global Politics of the FU Berlin, emphasized in his speech that the relative decline of the United States will also force the EU to engage more actively in international issues.
In his dinner speech, the Permanent Representative of the German Consulate General in Guangzhou, Mr. Jochen Künzel, stated the responsibility of the political elites for a peaceful development of regional relations. This responsibility is one of the key lessons to be learned from the fatal events in Europe in the 20thcentury.
On day 2, the participants dealt with the role of regional powers, with economic perspectives such as the development of trade agreements and with inter-regional initiatives and sub-state actors. Scientists and young professionals presented their research and showed various dimensions of regional integration. Wang Wenjia of the Catholic University of Loewen, Belgium, emphasized the importance for the EU to start negotiations on a trade agreement with the ASEAN countries in order to prevent Europe’s economic marginalization in Asia. In regard to the Russian project of an Eurasian economic union China is still reluctant.
An important opportunity for a deeper inter-regional collaboration between the EU and China is the field of non-traditional security as it offers the floor for a more substantial cooperation; whilst the lack of regional identity awareness is still the main obstacle for closer cooperation among the sub-regions of Asia.
A revalution of its the role of neighboring countries in the West has caused a shift of China’s interest towards Central Asian countries and Eastern European countries. Anastas Vangeli, PhD candidate at the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, pointed out the growing demand for foreign investments in the Balkans, where China is much appreciated for its increased commitment to development through investment. The EU should therefore invest more in this region to not lose its influence.
Dr. Frauke Austermann, assistant professor at the ESSCA School of Management in Shanghai and chief organizer of the workshop, summarized the results of the conference: both Germany and China have to take over the role of regional "leadership". However, this leadership needs to be embedded in an balanced regional integration process. Moreover, the importance of external stakeholders is very important. Asia could learn from the EU that it requires not only an integration process imposed by the elites, but also the development of a common identity by the people themselves.
