Timothy Webster

Bilateral Regionalism: Paradoxes of East Asian Integration

Like many other countries, China and Japan have recently signed a spate of Free Trade Agreements with countries in the Asia Pacific. This paper analyzes both countries’ styles of integration. While China favors multidisciplinary engagement (politics, security, economics), Japan is mainly interested in deepening economic integration with the countries in which it has already established transnational production lines. After analyzing individual FTAs signed by China and Japan, the paper ends by predicting that China’s multifaceted approach will promote greater integration in the Asia Pacific, and a more robust profile for China in regional affairs.