Asia Europe Journal最新文献

{"title":"Recasting order in the Indo-Pacific: Europe, Asia, and the future of the Liberal International Order","authors":"Jagannath Panda,&nbsp;Alfred Gerstl","doi":"10.1007/s10308-026-00775-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-026-00775-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Liberal International Order (LIO) is increasingly under threat—not only from revisionist and authoritarian states like China and Russia but also from within the USA itself. Unlike his predecessors, who recognized significant benefits for the USA in upholding and defending the rules-based order globally and in the Indo-Pacific, President Donald Trump views the existing LIO as detrimental to American interests. This special issue brings together scholars in Europe and the Indo-Pacific to examine the mounting challenges facing the LIO in the Indo-Pacific. Crucially, the contributions highlight that there has never been a shared consensus on what the LIO—or more neutrally: the rules-based order—entails, but a fragile coexistence of visions. The Indo-Pacific, as a geopolitical and normative crossroads, offers an unparalleled vantage point to test whether pluralism can coexist with rules, and whether middle powers and regional and minilateral organizations such as the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), or the Quad can act as custodians of order rather than bystanders to intensifying great-power rivalries, likely resulting in a fragmented and divided rather than truly multilateral and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, the debate surrounding the future of the Liberal International Order has intensified in recent years as geopolitical rivalries, institutional fragmentation, and competing governance models reshape global politics. Nowhere are these tensions more visible than in the Indo-Pacific where the intersection of European and Asian strategic interests reveals both the vulnerabilities and adaptive possibilities of the existing order. This special issue brings these two regions into a shared analytical frame to examine how their interactions shape the evolving contours of the rules-based international system.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"1 - 16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introduction to the special issue on what happens in Europe matters in the Indo-Pacific: the global impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war","authors":"Shaohua Yan,&nbsp;Biao Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s10308-026-00774-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-026-00774-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"141 - 150"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The road to hell is paved with good intentions—and EU spreadsheets","authors":"Heribert Dieter","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00773-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00773-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The European Union is following two incompatible economic strategies. On the one hand, the European Union wants to be a player in geopolitics and intends to use trade policy to increase its power in international relations. On the other hand, Brussels wants to set standards, particularly in three fields: the production of certain products shall have little or no CO² emissions, people in developing countries shall not be exploited and agricultural products shall not be coming from recently deforested land. Whilst the good intentions of the policy makers in Brussels are obvious and laudable, the effects of the three measures will reduce the European Union’s relevance in international economic relations. Rather than improving the welfare of people in developing countries, the EU’s policies are leading to self-isolation and a diminishing relevance of Brussels. Today, economies in Africa, Asia and Latin America have the option of doing business with China, Russia and non-aligned countries. A European Union that insists on unilateral measures in international trade weakens, rather than strengthens, its relevance in international affairs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"17 - 25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Russia-Ukraine war and China’s diplomatic signaling to major European powers","authors":"Haixia Qi,&nbsp;Hao Qi,&nbsp;Bode An,&nbsp;Xuetong Yan","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00769-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00769-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, China’s diplomatic relations with major European powers have been significantly and adversely affected. Although China has been sending positive signals regarding conflict resolution and striving to promote peace talks, these powers have maintained a skeptical stance while cooperating with the USA to pressure China on issues such as the Taiwan question, the South China Sea disputes, and human rights. To explain the evolving dynamics of China-Europe relations, this article employs signaling theory, categorizing diplomatic signals along two dimensions—credibility and visibility—into four types: high-cost frontstage, low-cost frontstage, high-cost offstage, and low-cost offstage. Based on this typology, the authors conduct a comparative analysis of China’s diplomatic signaling toward major European powers, including France, Germany, the UK, and Russia. The findings are as follows: Against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukraine war, China’s diplomatic signals directed at different countries exhibit significant variation in both credibility and visibility. Toward Russia, China has further issued high-cost frontstage signals, building on a high level of political mutual trust, while also substantially increasing the use of low-cost signals, thereby consolidating bilateral relations. In contrast, toward major European powers, China’s signaling demonstrates clear differentiation: toward the UK, both high-cost and low-cost signals are relatively scarce, reflecting restrained signaling toward a country closely aligned with the USA. In comparison, toward France and Germany, China has maintained frequent frontstage interactions and sustained offstage communications aimed at stabilizing economic and trade relations, reflecting a “wedge strategy” targeting countries with aspirations for strategic autonomy. Overall, in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, China has sustained or adjusted its bilateral relations with various actors through differentiated signaling. However, critical external factors may influence the effectiveness and anticipated outcomes of these signals. Qi Haixia and Qi Hao are co-first authors.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"215 - 243"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147607248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EU–China relations after the 2024 European elections: a European perspective","authors":"Bart Dessein,&nbsp;Jasper Roctus","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00770-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00770-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"23 4","pages":"457 - 460"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145800002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EU’s derisking from China: a daunting task","authors":"Françoise Nicolas","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00750-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00750-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With economic security as a major concern, the EU has recently turned to “derisking” from China. The EU strategy entails reducing critical dependencies and vulnerabilities, including in EU supply chains, and diversifying where necessary, while recognizing the importance and need to maintain open channels of communication. An analysis of the bilateral trade relations over the past decade suggests that derisking still remains elusive. In contrast to the USA, the EU has not reduced the share of Chinese products in its imports. Overall, there has been little or no diversification in some unsophisticated, labor-intensive, low-value-added sectors where it was not expected. At the same time, the EU’s exports to China have remained relatively constant, although direct export exposure to China differs significantly across member states. The picture emerging from the observation of direct investment flows to China is more mixed, with EU greenfield investments on the rise, while European M&amp;As have slowed sharply. Moreover, there is a growing concentration of EU FDI in China among a small number of firms, countries, and sectors. While the jury is still out on the success of the EU’s derisking attempts, many factors do not bode well for the future of the strategy. For derisking to materialize, several conditions need to be met, including better and tighter coordination between EU member states, and this is no easy task. However, with problems and possible solutions now clearly identified, what remains to be done is to walk the talk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"23 4","pages":"469 - 478"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145796508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Populism and the China question: implications for EU foreign policymaking","authors":"Anastas Vangeli","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00763-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00763-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper explores how rising European populism affects EU-China relations after the 2024 elections. It maps the ideological diversity of populist actors, identifies plausible 2025–2029 pathways, and sets out targeted actions for EU policymakers to engage populist actors with the goal to improve EU’s strategic coherence and firmness, and paradoxically, bring it closer to what many Europeans prioritize.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"23 4","pages":"519 - 533"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10308-025-00763-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145800007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analyzing Türkiye’s strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific: opportunities and challenges in the European Union context","authors":"Gürol Baba,&nbsp;Hatice Çelik","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00758-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00758-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Indo-Pacific region, encompassing the Indian and Pacific Oceans, marks a significant shift from the Asia–Pacific focus to a broader, interconnected strategic zone. This shift reflects the rising complexity of global power dynamics, notably China’s challenge to US supremacy, and the region’s critical role in global maritime trade. The strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific is characterized by a diverse array of key actors—including China, India, Japan, and the USA—each pursuing distinct strategies and visions. This has resulted in a volatile mix of cooperation and contention, further complicated by the region’s economic and strategic prominence. The ASEAN and IORA frameworks highlight the need for nuanced, multilateral approaches to the region’s challenges. The EU engagement, which evolved from a narrow Asia–Pacific focus to a broader strategy, underscores a key dilemma: despite the 2021 Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific demonstrating an intent to wield both soft and hard power, internal EU divisions hinder a unified policy. Similarly, Türkiye’s “Asia Anew” initiative has been conceptually and practically inadequate, complicating its Indo-Pacific engagement. Despite strained EU-Türkiye relations, Türkiye’s pivot to a broader Asian strategy requires strategic recalibration. This analysis argues that despite challenges in Ankara-Brussels engagements, the EU has a strategic opportunity to help Türkiye refine its initiative through an Indo-Pacific approach, fostering regional integration. By leveraging collaborative projects and enhancing diplomatic engagement with Türkiye, the EU can address strategic and economic challenges in the region while potentially bridging its internal divergences with broader regional imperatives.\u0000</p>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"107 - 123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147607329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Asia in flux: network power, new regionalism, and global development","authors":"Hong Liu,&nbsp;Chen Li,&nbsp;Guanie Lim","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00759-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00759-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article introduces the special issue titled ‘Asia in flux: network power, new regionalism, and global development’. Alongside the other 13 articles, it examines the dynamics of Asian regionalisation through three interlinked themes: trade/production regimes, financial flows, and sociocultural networks. The collective message is that industrial upgrading across the region is rarely automatic, and very few economies have fully overcome the unequal terms of exchange imposed by more advanced nations. Financial flows, from foreign direct investment to infrastructure loans, offer both opportunities and challenges, often exposing domestic economies to the strategic agendas of major powers. Sociocultural assemblages, in various forms, mediate these political-economic forces, in turn shaping the winners and losers of region-building. Taken together, these articles provide a nuanced lens for understanding Asia’s past and ongoing regionalisation, offering insights into the complex interplay of forces shaping the region’s future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"23 2-3","pages":"229 - 237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10308-025-00759-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145196237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The challenges of Sino-Russian alignment to the liberal international order in Southeast Asia","authors":"Julie Yu-Wen Chen,&nbsp;Monique Taylor,&nbsp;Alfred Gerstl,&nbsp;Kristina Kironska","doi":"10.1007/s10308-025-00755-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10308-025-00755-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper explores the challenges of Sino-Russian alignment to liberal international order (LIO) in the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Rather than being based upon common interests or values, the alignment between Russian and Chinese interests is pragmatic and expedient in the context of contemporary international affairs. China is traditionally an important player in Southeast Asia, while Russia lacks significant strategic presence and influence in this region despite pursuing a range of energy and economic interests, for example, Russia remains Southeast Asia’s leading arms supplier. Russia’s calculus in the Indo-Pacific, and particularly in Southeast Asia is neither bound nor framed by Sino-Russian relations. However, due to the emergence of strategic competition as the defining feature of contemporary international order, Russia and China’s expedient alignment could pose challenges to the LIO in Southeast Asia. To investigate these challenges, this paper provides an overview of China and Russia’s respective relationship with Southeast Asian countries, using the cases of Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through the responses of these countries and ASEAN to the South China Sea dispute and the Russia-Ukraine War, the complex implications of Sino-Russian alignment for the LIO in Southeast Asia will be revealed and discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45680,"journal":{"name":"Asia Europe Journal","volume":"24 on","pages":"125 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10308-025-00755-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}