"This paper argues that a regional financial architecture needs to be firmly established in East Asia, outlines recent developments in financial cooperation in the region, and provides possible directions for the future". -- p. 1.

The global financial crisis and the Eurozone crisis have led to a profound rethink in East Asia about the international monetary system and regional monetary and financial integration. After the East Asian crisis of 1997, deeper regional cooperation was seen as the way to avoid reliance on the IMF and the rest of the world. Steps were taken, but they were limited because of disagreements reflecting regional rivalries. Still, integration into the global financial system and Europe's regional process were seen as objectives to be adapted to East Asia, as detailed in an overview chapter. The crises have shaken this strategy but also revealed the pre-existing deep disagreements. This book presents contributions by scholars from different countries. Each one was invited to describe the vision of their policymakers. The traidtional rivalry between China and Japan, the region's largest economies, reveals Chinese confidence into its rising power and Japanese growing doubts about its ability to weigh on the debate. For opposite reasons, both display a declining interest into regional cooperation. Korea and the ASEAN countries do not wish to choose between the regional powers but remain attached to regional cooperation and integration. They look for pragmatic solutions that recognize the value-chain characteristic of trade. Additional contributions by US and European scholars provide evaluations of the global and Eurozone crises and of their relevance for East Asian integration.

Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, there has been a deep and abiding desire on the part of Asian policy makers and opinion makers to enhance the region's economic, monetary and financial self-sufficiency — or at least to ring-fence the region against financial instability and give it a louder voice in global financial affairs. There has been progress in these directions, notably in the form of the Chiang Mai Initiative of financial supports and the Asian Bond Market Initiative to build a single Asian financial market. But progress is hindered by disagreements among the principal national governments — Japan, China and South Korea — and resistance to the development of an Asian bloc from both Europe and the United States.This volume considers these issues from a number of different national and analytical perspectives. Scholars from all the relevant regions and countries are represented: Japan, China, Korea, Europe and the United States. While there have been a few previous books and articles concerned with the issue of Asian integration, this is one of the first volumes to successfully draw together top contributors from these different countries and regions to address the issues in a rigorous but relatively accessible way.

China's strategy towards East Asian regional cooperation since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98Since the Asian Financial Crisis of '97-98 China has taken a leading role in East Asian economic cooperation initiatives, centred around the powerful ASEAN Plus Three mechanism (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus South Korea, Japan and China). This brand new book from the International Poverty Reduction Centre of China's Qianqian Liu outlines exactly how and why China has pursued economic and diplomatic cooperation throughout the post-crisis years. Methodical and richly detailed, it offers a unique empirical analysis of China's actions and involvements with ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asian Summit.Author Qianqian Liu's integrated theoretical approach captures and pieces together the intricacies of Chinese interactions with its East Asian partners - enabling the reader to better understand the dynamics of China's regional behaviour and foreign policy. Together with research-based insight and data covering all aspects of this critical subject, the author proposes two key assertions. Firstly that China-US relations have played a significant part in China's increasingly cooperative approach to China-East Asia relations. And secondly, that China has maximised mechanisms of regional economic cooperation as a means of enhancing its influence in East Asia.Key features and benefits:- Unveils China's perspectives on regional cooperation by extensively exploring Chinese source material and materials - information only now available thanks to increased openness and liberalisation- Offers a key contribution to wider theoretical debates on China's rise and regional intensions- Examines the vital interconnections between the key contemporary International Relations theories - realism, liberalism and constructivism - rather than examining them as separate elements to help fully explain China's strategies and goals- Analytical coverage of China's involvement with both ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asia Summit- Offers comparisons between European regionalism and East Asian regionalism- Reveals Chinese perspectives on how China-US relations have helped shape China's approach to East Asia economic cooperationRegional Cooperation and China's Strategy Towards East Asia is published as part of a brand new series from Paths International, China and International Organisations Series. Published in association with China's Social Sciences Academic Press. Contents: 1, Introduction2, The Historical Development of East Asia and the Rise of China before 19973, The Asian Financial Crisis, China's Accession to the WTO and China's Participation in Regional Cooperation from 1997 to 19994, China's Regional Strategy from the end of 1999 to the end of 20055, China's Participation in Regional Cooperation in East Asia from the end of 2005 to mid-2009 6, Conclusions