BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

ASEAN+3+3+2: EXPLAINING TRENDS OF US-CHINA REGIONAL COMPETITION IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC

Author: Mezbah-Ul-Azam Sowdagar

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2015v36n4a4

ABSTRACT

The recent trends of regionalism in the Asia-Pacific region in perspective of the ASEAN+3+3 (Association of South East Asian Nations+China, Japan and Korea+Australia, New Zealand and India), officially known as the East Asia Summit (EAS), are important for international relations. Especially, China’s growing role and influence in this ASEAN centric new international order have attracted scholars of international relations substantially. China responded to the structural changes in East Asia, managed to transform its policies for the region in the mid-1990s and began to engage more actively than before in multilateral frameworks. The involvement of United States (US) in the regionalism has furthered a new political and strategic facet. Particularly, with this engagement, the US has made a big policy shift in the region. Taking into account of this policy shift of the two great powers, US and China, the paper mainly addresses two specific questions. First, what are the invisible dynamics of EAS politics after the US involvement? Second, how are the inside rudiments of security, political and strategic connotation in this regionalism after the US engagement? The paper aims to explain significance of recent trends of EAS centric regional competition and a deeper understanding of the increasing security, political and strategic nuances of the Asia-Pacific regionalism. The paper argues that ASEAN is inviting both powers to compete with each other through its balancing role. In the name of regional grouping, a regional security competition has been started under the umbrella of EAS.