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Asia and regional integration theory 29
and may continue to pursue bold policies, on the seas and otherwise. Also,
in addition to coordinating and pursuing its agenda one-on-one with
other nations, China is proactively using multilateral frameworks to defend
and further its policies. It is also making full use of its growth-fuelled
market power; for example, through the creation of FTAs (using FTAs as
a political tool), to increase its regional influence.
It can thus be seen that hedging against China and institutional balancing
(He, 2009) are being implemented not only via security-focused
regional cooperative entities such as ARF and ADMM but also via institutions
created with the goal of economic integration, such as APEC,
TPP and bilateral FTAs. From this point of view, the various institutions
in the Asia-Pacific region are functioning on one hand to transition the
region to a regional society, and on the other hand as a networked coordination
apparatus to prevent the region from regressing to a (standard)
regional complex in which a polarized balance of power prevails and inconsistent
values and norms are manifest.
The rise of China will drastically alter the distribution of power in the
Asia-Pacific and East Asian regions while increasing both the degree and
the asymmetry of economic interdependence in said regions. Furthermore,
if China’s political system does not significantly change going forwards,
there will not be much of a move towards consistency in terms of
the regions’ values, norms and domestic institutions. Though this is just
conjecture, the rise of China may carry the following implications for the
future. First, although it may seem counterintuitive, the Asia-Pacific region
could increase in relative importance with respect to East Asia. That
is, the emergence of China as a major power will both provide the United
States with economic opportunity in East Asia and increase its security
interest in the region. This eventuality has a high probability of increasing
its involvement in the region and producing a coherent Asia-Pacific
region with a high degree of interaction among its members. Additionally,
other nations will likely count on US involvement in the region to balance
out China. Given these circumstances, we may see more and more
substantive economic integration and FTA-mediated institutional integration
in the Asia-Pacific and East Asian regions.
5 Conclusion
This chapter examined regional integration theories and illustrated the
variety of aspects that regions can take. Specifically, there is a wide range
of possible relationships among the nations in a region, from independent
action to cooperation, to continued cooperation and international regimes,
and finally to supranational organizations. In addition, relationships
among the nations in a region often differ across the fundamental sectors