Europe and the Challenge of the Asia Pacific

This innovative new book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of contemporary economic, political and security relations between Western Europe and the Asia Pacific region. After discussing the historical legacies of colonialism and de-colonization, the book examines the successive economic challenges from first Japan, then the Asian Newly Industrializing Economies, and most recently Southeast Asia and China. It also analyses the slowly emerging and less well-known political and security aspects to the relationship. Regionalism in both Europe and the Asia pacific is discussed, as is the impact of the Asian financial crisis since mid-1997 on relations with Europe. The book concludes that the future Euro-Asian relationship will be influenced by moves towards greater European integration, the way in which Asia responds to the current financial crisis and by the development of the new region-to-region dialogue. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Asian studies and international economics and politics.