Mirroring the EU? Functional capacity of integration in Asia

Abstract

his paper contributes to the debate on the multidimensional phenomenon of Asian regional integration. Considering one case study – a regional grouping known as ‘ASEAN+3’ – this paper offsets it against relevant achievements on the European continent. Admitting that direct application of the EU’s model to the ASEAN+3 frameworks is fruitless, this study uses a different approach, treating the EU’s legal composition as a leading tool to assess if the European ‘know how’ in regional integration could be applied to facilitate the inter-relations within the ASEAN+3. Three barriers to regional integration are explored: differing democratic practices, dominating intergovernmental interactions, and the globally (vs. regionally) orientated China. Yet, this paper argues that the aforementioned challenges have a potential not only to subvert, but, paradoxically, reinforce the Asian integration process, particularly within the ASEAN+3 grouping.