{"title":"Services Trade Liberalisation in RCEP","authors":"Hein Roelfsema","doi":"10.1163/15700615-tat00002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-tat00002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The liberalisation of services has been central to the RCEP process, reflecting the interests of key stakeholders involved in the negotiations. The outcome of RCEP can be viewed as a political-economic balance that harmonises the diverse interests of its member countries. However, the agreement is sometimes criticised for being somewhat of a ‘talking shop’, offering few tangible steps beyond what has already been established in existing agreements. Despite this criticism, the RCEP process serves as a case study on the complexities of deep integration in the global economy (European Parliament 2021). It illustrates how countries may adopt flexible strategies to tackle the challenges, providing insight into negotiation dynamics and the cautious, incremental steps towards deeper economic integration in a region characterised by significant diversity in economic development and political systems. We also map commitment mechanisms to cooperation instruments to demonstrate how soft-law processes can produce complex economic effects within heterogeneous regulatory systems.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147880957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"RCEP versus CPTPP","authors":"Patrick Ziltener, Ranti Yulia Wardani","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02403013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02403013","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The first two decades of the 21st century saw a process of competitive regionalisation going on in the Asia-Pacific region. On the one side, there has been the evolution of the ASEAN plus-system leading to the mega regional Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RCEP ), and on the other side there is the originally P4-founded, then US -driven Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP ) which led to the open and dynamic CPTPP -11. From an ASEAN perspective, the two initiatives have not only a different base and reach, but also a different level of ambition and potentially different consequences. Based on interviews and written sources, this article compares the two initiatives and their possible impact from an actors’ perspective, with a special focus on Indonesia (a member of RCEP ) and Vietnam (a member of both RCEP and CPTPP ). Both initiatives have the potential to transform the institutional framework that determines how companies are doing business in the region, but the changes triggered by them are slow, selective, and uneven. RCEP is consolidating the economic integration of the region, rather than opening up new avenues for it. The impact of the new agreement will depend to a high degree on its effectiveness on the ground: will it make cross-border trading effectively easier and contribute to overcoming the FTA utilisation problems?","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"24 3","pages":"351-375"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147916742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sociability of ‘Selfishness’ and Individualism in Chinese Modern Thought and Society","authors":"Paolo Santangelo","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203003","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The debate on the sociability of self-interest has resonated through diverse cultures and epochs, with particular relevance to the ongoing discourse concerning the resurgence of Confucian thought and the evolution of individuality within contemporary Chinese society. Li Zhi (1527–1602) brings forth a novel perspective with his concept of innate ‘selfishness’. Li’s proposition offers a profound exploration of the human psyche. His reinterpretation of ‘selfishness’ resonates with modern psychological terminology, bearing resemblance to concepts such as ‘self-motivation’ and the ‘flow experience’, in alignment with the economic development and social mobility of the mid-Ming era. However, it also fosters an awareness of interconnectedness with all beings, as epitomized by the concept of oneness. This emerging paradigm of self calls for a comparative analysis with the trajectory of individualism in modern and contemporary China. From a cross-cultural perspective, Li’s proposition grapples with challenges that have perplexed thinkers across diverse civilizations, echoing the discourse in modern Europe regarding the paradox of ‘unsocial sociability’.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"11 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138972700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Betting on Macau: Casino Capitalism and China’s Consumer Revolution, by Tim Simpson","authors":"Gregory Bracken","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02202007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02202007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"479 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138974244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"China’s Asymmetric Statecraft: Alignments, Competitors, and Regional Diplomacy, by Yuxing Huang","authors":"Julia Bader","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02202006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02202006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139003438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Coping with Food Crises","authors":"Felice Farina","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In response to three major postwar food crises (1945–1946, 1972–1973 and 2007–2008), Japan developed a distinctive approach to food security. The largest food crisis in Japan’s modern history occurred after the defeat in 1945 as a result of the loss of former colonies, adverse weather, and import limitations imposed by the Allies. In 1973, the United States imposed a soybean embargo, leaving Japan with uncertain supplies. More recently, the 2007–2008 world food prices crisis brought new concerns about Japan’s overreliance on foreign markets. As a result of the cumulative effects of these crises, Japan developed what we define a ‘preventive approach to food security’, whereby it seeks to mitigate the negative effects of any potential future food emergency by promoting self-sufficiency and ensuring a steady supply of imports. In this article we will analyse and clarify the central role of the three postwar food crises in shaping this approach.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"302 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138974238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Simultaneous Recruitment of New Graduates (SRoNG)","authors":"Stefan Heeb, Mari Yamauchi","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This paper provides a systematic account of simultaneous recruitment of new graduates (SRoNG), the predominant hiring practice of big companies in Japan. The authors characterise SRoNG as macro-level coordination in the process of new graduate recruitment between companies and universities, along with homogeneous hiring conditions offered by individual firms, consisting of same initial salaries, initial internal vocational training, and absence of job specification. The paper further provides a historical account of SRoNG’s emergence, tracing it back to early-modern government structures, education expansion, wage control efforts, and the system’s expansion and establishment as a predominant institution. Finally the paper focuses on SRoNG’s more recent empirical evolution. The main business association, Keidanren, proposed to abandon the practice in the wake of intensified competition with foreign multinationals in the recruitment of new graduates. While there are noteworthy ongoing changes, the authors suggest that SRoNG is unlikely to suffer more than a partial and minor abandonment.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138971532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of the Research on the Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar","authors":"Ta-Wei Chu, Marco J. Haenssgen","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is among the largest transnational development initiatives globally. In this article, we review the research on the BRI in Myanmar, a developing country that is of considerable geopolitical importance. To date, the BRI literature has made three central contributions: it has captured much of the complexity of BRI projects, filled a notable research gap in BRI studies, and raised awareness of local voices. In addition, two analytically meaningful topics are worth exploring, namely the contested relations (1) between China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and prospective Chinese BRI investors and (2) between the Myanmar government and local anti-BRI groups. Responding to the current focus of the literature and to advance future research, we recommend that scholars consider the analytical framework of state transformation to disaggregate statehood, account for diverse actors, and explain their contested relations. Because it challenges state-centric frameworks (e.g., realism and Westphalian national sovereignty), the state-transformation model can yield theoretically and empirically stimulating findings.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138972106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Civil Society Perspectives on Rights and Freedoms in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations","authors":"Paul Chaney","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This pan-regional analysis of non-governmental organisations’ (NGO) perspectives on the contemporary factors which constrain or repress civil society in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is based on United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) data. It shows that, paradoxically, whilst the majority of ASEAN states have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that upholds civil society’s political role in promoting rights and democracy, this is inimical to the region’s political elites who regard civil society’s primary function as non-political delivery of social welfare and development. This disjuncture results in repression, performativity, and legitimation. The UPR data reveal an ever-shrinking civil space. Civil society, including human rights defenders (HRD s), faces a raft of rights pathologies, including threats, violence and murder—as well as increasing state restrictions on freedom of association and expression. This is compounded by impunity for offenders, corruption, and government inaction following earlier UPR recommendations.","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"387 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138974200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Habsburgs Going Global. The Austro-Hungarian Concession in Tientsin/Tianjin in China (1901–1917), by Michael Falser","authors":"Filippo De Pieri, Beini Guo","doi":"10.1163/15700615-02203002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15700615-02203002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35205,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of East Asian Studies","volume":"588 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138973982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}