ASIAN

REGIONALISM
 WHAT ARE REGIONS?
Regions are a group of
countries located in the same
geographically specified area:
Regions can be a
combination of more than two
regions organized to regulate
and oversee flows and policy
choices.
 WHAT IS
REGIONALIZATION?
The process of dividing an
area into segments called
regions.
Division of a nation into
states or provinces.
In the economic context,
regionalization is a
management tool.
REGIONALISM
- strengthened collective identity in a
conglomerate of nations occupying a particular
geographic area or aiming at shared goal;
increase in economic exchanges in particular area
- refers to the decentralization of political powers
or competencies from a higher towards a lower
political level
- Regionalism is created as a sort of counter-
globalization
- Regional organizations will always prefer
regional partners over the rest of the world.
It is an expression of ASIA
a common sense of  The new and
identity
stabilizing engine of
Implementation of
institutions that global economic
express a particular growth
identity  Plays vital role in
Shapes collective the global economic
action within leadership
geographical region
 ASIAN REGIONALISM
Defined as a political ideology that favors
a specific region over a greater area. It
usually results due to political separations,
religions, geography, cultural boundaries,
linguistic regions, and managerial
divisions.
The product of economic integration
Helps the region to grow richer and
closer together
Focused on finding new and flexible
forms of cooperation
Regional initiatives intended to
complement global relationships
Asian regionalism is the product of
economic interaction.
East Asian economies in particular,
focused on exporting to developed
country markets rather than selling to
each other. Initially, they specialized in
simple, labor-intensive manufactures.
Asian regionalism is a cooperation or
integration of Asian countries for global
economic progress
 REGIONALIZATION VS GLOBALIZATION
GLOBALIZATION REGIONNALIZATION
NATURE Promotes integration of Divides an area into smaller
economies across state segments
borders all around the
world
MARKET Allows many corporations Monopolies are more likely
to trade on international to develop. Monopoly means
level; it allows free market one producer controls supply
of a good or service and
where the entry of new
producers is prevented or
highly restricted.
 GLOBALIZATION REGIONNALIZATION

CULTURAL Acceleration to Does not support

& SOCIETAL multiculturalism through multiculturalism
RELATIONS free and inexpensive
movement of people

AID Globalized international A regionalized are does not

communities are more involved in the affairs of other
willing to aid countries areas.
stricken by disasters
TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES
Globalization has driven Advanced technology is rarely
great advances in available in one country or
technology. region.
 WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF REGIONALISM?
Regionalism is important The importance of regionalism
because it has been proven to
pooling and marketing regional
increase the efficiency and
assets to the world where
effectiveness of local
appropriate
governments.
location decisions within the
More efficient government helps
region based on unique
keep taxes and fees lower.
strengths of geographies
Lastly not every issue is better
Project wins benefits the entire
solved through a regional
region, regardless of jurisdiction
approach and in fact there are
many instances where it just Partnerships assure business of
cannot work. regional support and initiative
In the context of international
relations, REGIONALISM is the
manifestation or expression of a
common sense of cultural identity
and purpose combined with the
creation and implementation of
institutions that express a particular
identity and shape collective action
within a geographical region.
Most of the regional blocs like E.U
and the ASEAN were crafted out of
the shared commonality and
oneness of aspiration.
It should be noted however, that most of the regional
organizations established especially after WWII are basically
anchored on economic integration.
Economic regionalism refers to institutional arrangements
designed to facilitate the free flow of goods and services and
to coordinate foreign economic policies between countries in
the same geographic region or nearby locate.
Economic regionalism can be viewed as a conscious attempt
to manage the opportunities and constraints created by the
dramatic increase in international economic ties to foster
economic growth and prosperity among its member states.
Ex: of economic regionalism include free-trade areas, customs
unions, common markets and economic unions.
 REGIONALISM IN ASIA
Many things have been said about Asia especially about its sheer
size, population, resources and its capability to dominate the global
and economic environment.
It can be said that the gravity of world economic, political and
security affairs has shifted to Asia.
The Asian Development Bank even went as far as saying that the
region’s economy is already similar in size to those of Europe and
North America and its influence in the world continues to increase.
The call for Regional economic cooperation is essential for
addressing these challenges.
This is largely because of Asia’s unprecedented growth in the past
few decades led by economic powerhouses Japan, China and South
Korea.
The Asian miracle as many would refer to the rapid
economic transformation in the 80s did not end with the
1977/98 financial crisis; for some countries, it marked the
beginning of renewed acceleration.
The question is no longer Asia will be central to the 21st
century economy but rather how it will exercise its
prominent role and how its dependence on the rest of the
world has decreased.
Asia’s economies are increasingly connected to trade,
financial transactions, direct investment, technology, labor
and tourist flows and other economic relationships.
The regional order that is present in the Asian region is
spurred by the fact that there exist patterns of similarities
too great to escape scrutiny.
Asia includes some of the worlds wealthiest
economies and some poorest, large
continental powers as well as small city states,
continuously independent countries and
former colonies.
Its strength derives from the openness,
diversity and dynamism of its interconnected
economies.
The cultural ties anchored mainly on
language and religion are also solid frontiers
to argue for greater cooperation on a regional
platform.
 MUST ASIA CONTINUE TO GO ON WITH ITS
ESTABLISHED REGIONAL PATTERNS?
YES, a more dynamic and outward-looking Asian
regionalism could bring huge benefits not just to
Asia, but more importantly to the world.
It could help sustain the region’s growth,
underpin its stability and with the right policies-
reduce inequality and address the perennial
problem of poverty.
It could help marshal a common response to
major new challenges that often arise suddenly
and unexpectedly.
 REGIONAL INTEGRATION
Is the process by which two or more nation-
states agree to co-operate and work closely
together to achieve peace, stability and wealth.
The entire world is moving towards
integration, it is inevitable. In asia, the
Southeast Asian countries have already formed
ASEAN.
This regional power block appears to work
fine, the member states fit very well together
because of the following factors:
 WHY DO COUNTRIES FORM REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?

MILITARY DEFENSE
- the NORTH ATLANTIC
TREATY ORGANIZATION
(NATO) was formed to
protect Europe from the
treat of the Soviet Union
and as a response, the
Soviet Union created the
Warsaw Pact
 ECONOMIC CRISIS
The ASEAN countries
along with China, Japan
and South Korea
established an emergency
fund that stabilized Asian
economies after the
rippling effect of the Thai
economy’s collapse.
 RESOURCES

Countries need to pool their

resources together to make
themselves more powerful. The
organization of the petroleum
exporting countries (OPEC) rose in
power when they took over domestic
production and controlled crude oil
prices across the globe.
PROTECTION OF INDEPENDENCE

The countries under the

Non-Alignment Movement
(NAM) refused to side with
the capitalists (Western
Europe & North America) or
the communists (Eastern
Europe).
FACTORS THAT ARE LEADING THE ASIAN
REGION INTO GREATER INTEGRATION
1. Integration has been market-driven
Within Asia, there are a variety of systems, institutions,
procedures, social relations and infrastructures that are
put in a place for countries to engage in exchange.
2. formal institutions such as the ADB were established.
Conceived in 1960s, ADB promotes social and
economic development in Asia.
3. economic grants and overseas development
assistance are made available by better Asian
economies.
Ex: Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
aims to work on human security and quality growth.
4. production networks have expanded.
Economies are mainly on comparative advantage
through regional division of labor.
5. cooperation among the ASEAN and the East
Asian countries ensued the ASEAN’s Financial
Minister’s Process that established two economic
structures.
 the Chiang Mai Initiative and the Asian Bond
Markets Initiative.
The process aims to strengthen policy dialogue,
coordination and collaboration on common
financial, monetary, and fiscal issues.
CHALLENGES TO REGIONALISM
 RESURGENCE OF MILITANT NATIONALISM AND
POPULISM

This involves the

conflict between the
NATO, the US, and
the Vladimir Putin’s
Anti-NATO
movement.
 CONFLICT BETWEEN SOVEREIGNTY AND
REGIONAL STABILITY
The Philippines had a difficulty in
letting some countries support its
condemnation of China’s
occupation of the West Philippines
Sea because China had given great
investments and economic aid to
these countries.
 DIFFERING VISIONS OF REGIONALISM

Developed countries like the US may

only see regionalism as a tool for
political democratization but
developing countries see regionalism
as an obstacle to economic
globalization because public inquiry
slows down its implementations.
HOW DO DIFFERENT ASIAN STATES CONFRONT THE
CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION,
REGIONALIZATION & COVID 19?
 ASEAN
Founded on August 8 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Philippines
Promoted economic growth, social
progress and cultural development in
the Southeast Asian region through
multilateral cooperation.
 ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Rapid economic growth for
Asia has led to reliance on
economic imports, increasing
the importance of sea lanes and
transformational routes.
Asian states need to empower
Science and technology so that
its citizens can eventually
discover or create sustainable
energy sources.
 MIGRATION
The combination of rapidly growing
populations in much of the
developing world, increasingly porous
national boarders and disparities in
economic growth rates have spark a
dramatic increase in international
migration.
Like Malaysia, other Asian countries
need to deploy troops and naval
vessels to limit the arrival of
migrants.
 ORGANIZED CRIME AND THREATS FROM “NON-
STATE” ACTORS
Through the increasing ease of
communication and transportation
flows and growing permeability of
national borders, organized crime
networks, terrorism drugs and
weapons traffickers and even
human smugglers face fewer
constraints on their activity.
Asian states must enable stricter
laws on national security.
 WEAKINING REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS BECAUSE OF RIFTS
BETWEEN AUTHORITARIAN MEMBERS OF ASEAN
“flexible engagement” allows for
countries to comment on each
other’s internal policy matters;
these countries can monitor
economic indicators for signs of
impending crisis.
Asian countries need to preserve
their sovereignty, meaning they
should not allow other states to
exert influence on their political
decisions.
 SHIFTS IN BALANCE OF POWER
Deepening economic
integration gives rise to
regional economic blocks
that competes for power and
influence.
Asian countries need to
work together as one region
instead of competing for
power and rise against
Western economic
dominance.
 EXPANDING ROLES OF THE MILITARY
With lingering traditional threats, the prospect
of increased internal tensions in Asian countries
and the emergence of new security challenges
will place high demand on regional militaries.
Increasing demand for military will likely coincide
with a period of declining resources.
So as to avoid the declining resources, countries
can adopt conscription methods similar to that of
South Korea wherein men are required to do
compulsory military conscription for a few years
and go back to their lives eventually.
 GLOBALIZATION AND DEMOCRACY
Authoritarian regimes suffer more from the effect
of globalization than states that embrace
transparency, accountability and the rule of law
because these are norms that are the backbone of
democratic and free-markets societies.
Asian countries may have to adopt democracy in
order to have an efficient economic system that is
well-criticized and is therefore well-reviewed by the
mass. This way, the process become more
efficient.
 COVID 19
An infectious disease caused by SARS-
C0V-2 virus. It outbreak is having a severe
impact on Asian economies and hence on
Asian household.
Some Asian countries like South Korea
acted swiftly to ramp up heath systems, in
some instances before even a single
COVID-19 case had been confirmed within
borders.