| From 1990s, world economics have appeared two kinds of trend: economic globalization and region economic integration. On the one hand, with development of globalization, WTO is become center to maintain free trade mechanism and carry out global free trade; On the other hand, with development of regional economic integration, regional economic cooperation-body is arisen, and being subject to maintain free trade the multilateral or bilateral regional economic cooperation is carried out. The latter obviously is outstripping the former in intensity and influence. Most especially entering to 21st century, development of region economic integration is rapid and has showed a series of new characteristics and the new modes which attract people's attention.With the rapid developing pace of economic globalization, the transnational flow of production factors and the growing of optimized allocation, the economic openness and integration of various nations have been greatly enhanced. Economic globalization itself is a natural infiltration process of market mechanism, and in this process, the survival is the fittest, which guides the factors of production to shift gradually from nations and regions with low efficiency to the nations and regions with high efficiency, improving the overall utilization efficiency of resources in the world and the world benefits. But at the same time, globalization will also exert great pressure to part of developing countries which are less developed, and even make them face the danger of being marginalized.Faced with the risk of economic globalization, to combat and neutralize the risks of globalization by participating in the organizations of integration of regional economics has become a realistic choice for many countries, which include both developing countries and developed countries. Among the 150 members of WTO, nearly 90% has participated in various forms of organizations of regional economic cooperation. Beginning step from free trade zones, Europe eventually developed into the European Union with single currency, which pushed regional integration to a new high. Driven by the trend of the integration of regional economics, some representational organizations of integration of regional economics, such as NAFTA, MERCOSUR, and AFTA, are also continuing to strengthen and deepen the internal cooperation which has exerted an increasing impact. NAFTA and EU have become the successful models of integration of regional economics. According to the data from the service network of Chinese free trade zone, by the end of August 2008, there had been 231 regional trade arrangements that were informed to the WTO, still valid, and mainly based on free trade zones. According to the estimates from the WTO Experts, more than 50% of global trade takes place within the regional economic groups, carried out at a status that is better than the MFN of WTO.This thesis is divided into 6 parts. Chapter I is the Introduction. This chapter describes the background and significance of the topics of this paper, as well as the research ideas, research methods, along with the innovation and shortcomings of this paper. Combining with the theories on international economic integration and international politics regionalism, this paper carries out a multi-angle cross-disciplinary research. This paper adopts a research method that combines qualitative research and quantitative research together, standardized research and empirical research together, and strives to tease out the internal logic in the economic integration of East Asia.Chapter II is the general analysis of integration of regional economics. This chapter begins by defining the important concepts in the study of integration of regional economics, provides an introduction for the organizational forms of integration of regional economics and the basic types. In the theoretical basis part, this paper does a theoretical analysis on the rising phenomenon of integration of regional economics based on the customs union theory in international economics and new area theory in international politics, while sums up the two most successful examples of economic integration so far which are the practice of the European Union and NAFTA, in order to give some inspiration to the integration of regional economics in East Asia. This chapter also introduces the research situation of domestic and foreign scholars on the integration of regional economics. Combining with the theoretical analysis, this paper also makes an analysis on the generating process of the new regionalism in East Asia, and the relationship between it and the financial crisis in East Asia. It also sums up that open regionalism in East Asia is inclusive, multi-tier and pluralistic. In addition, this paper takes special notice of the impact on the regional economic integration of East Asia caused by the global financial crisis which is triggered by the United States, as well as some changes in regional economic cooperation in East Asia.Chapter III is about the foundation and models of the regional economic integration of East Asia. This paper studies the economic and trade relations between East Asian countries that they are mainly complementary with each other in economy and supplemented by competition, and it also gives a high concern for the production networks within the region formed by East Asian regional division. The paper also discusses the construction of a common culture in East Asia. The ethnics, religions, languages and cultures are relatively uniform in Northeast Asia, while those in Southeast Asian countries are different and diversified. However, it does not mean that there is no common ground between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia; in fact, they are the same in many aspects such as attaching importance to family, advocating education and so on. This paper analyzes the strike on East Asian culture by the aggression of the modern Western colonialism, as well as the impact of Japan's breaking away from Asia, and points out that the importance of reconstructing the common culture of East Asia to the regional economic integration of East Asia, focusing on the characteristics of future East Asian culture. In this paper, the two kinds of integration of regional economics models, East Asia Free Trade Area and the East Asia Community, are studied with the differences and linkages between them pointed out. East Asian countries do not agree on the scope of members and ways of establishing East Asia Free Trade Area and East Asian Community, so the East Asian regional economic integration will not be smooth sailing and still need to take a long time.Chapter IV is about the leading power of regional cooperation of East Asia and the function of related countries in East Asia. The complexity in East Asia makes the process of regional integration difficult, among which there being no leading power is one of the most important reasons. The status quo of the pattern of power in East Asia: first, there is no country or group with a decisive influence and dominant position in the region, lacking of a state-led condition. Second, despite there are such big countries as China and Japan in the East Asian region, due to the lack of mutual trust, low-level cooperation, limited intensity of cooperation, there is still short of the condition of domination through cooperation among major powers, which exerts a negative impact on the integration of East Asia. On this basis, the integration of East Asia can not copy the models in Europe or North America. On the issue of cooperation dominance in East Asia, affirming the ASEAN's contribution at the same time, this paper points out the limitations of the ASEAN-led integration and puts forward the necessity of dominance of cooperation among major powers. This paper argues that due to the complexity and diversity of the East Asian region, ASEAN-led East Asian integration is not only a realistic option currently, but also a helpless selection, as well as the reason for the slow progress of integration of East Asia. The dominating potential of the ASEAN has been lost to the limit, and without new power to take over the initiative and new impetus to inject in, the integration of East Asia will not have a solid foundation, which is difficult to be improved further. All the East Asian nations should adapt to the trend of regionalization of the world economy, identify regional common interest, but abandon the zero sum thinking model, not be overly concerned about the attribution of leading power, so that major powers have the ability to lead through cooperation. In East Asia, nothing but the reconciliation and cooperation between China and Japan can be able to take over the initiative of integration to promote the integration of East Asia moving to a higher level, while the key to Sino-Japanese reconciliation and cooperation lies on Japan's true returning to Asia. At the same time, this paper also does an analysis on the role and function which China, Japan, South Korea and ASEAN play in East Asian regional economic cooperation, and emphasizes the importance of Sino-Japanese cooperation.Chapter V is on the areas of cooperation selected in regional economic integration of East Asia. To promote regional economic integration of East Asia can not be separated with cooperation in key areas. In the energy cooperation, this paper analyzes the situation of the energy resources of the major countries in East Asia, as the basis for carrying out cooperation. The energy issues have always been involved in international politics, security and economic situation. In recent years, with the increasing demand on energy of the economic development, East Asian countries increasingly feel the pressure from the energy. Especially, China, Japan and South Korea being respectively the second, third and the seventh largest country of oil consumption all over the world, along with the sixth one, India, makes East Asia and Asia indeed the major consumption regions of oil energy. It has been highlighted the importance of ensuring energy security and strengthening energy cooperation, and energy cooperation has become an important element in the regional cooperation of East Asia. Japan and South Korea are lacking of energy resources, and nearly all the oil and gas are imported, objectively speaking, for this reason, the competition for the source of energy is generated among China, Japan and South Korea, which leads to the fragmented situation. The competition among China, Japan and South Korea provides an opportunity for the oil-producing countries in the Middle East that some oil-exporting countries in the Middle East use different valuation formulas for the same crude oil exported to different areas, which makes oil-importing countries in Asian regions pay a higher price of crude oil compared with those European and American countries. And this unfair price is the so-called Asia premium of Middle East crude oil. To change this passive situation, Asian can only establish cooperation mechanisms, and seek new suppliers at the same time. There is a certain degree of cooperation between East Asia and Russia which is extraordinarily rich in energy resources, so the co-operation between China, Japan and South Korea with Russia is particularly important. The article also analyzes the advantages of East Asian countries, and puts forward suitable ways of cooperation.In the financial area, this paper analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the East Asian financial system, as well as the problems in cooperation, and it also takes notice of the progress of cooperation and the results obtained. The progress of financial cooperation in East Asia can be reflected from the increasing number of cooperation mechanisms, which has been increased to eight from four before the crisis in East Asia, namely: the New East RBA Organization (1956), South East Asian Central Banks (1966), EMEAP (1991) and APEC Finance Ministers Mechanism (1994) which have been existing before the East Asian financial crisis, as well as the new ASEM Finance Ministers Mechanism (1997), the ASEAN Finance Ministers Mechanism, the ASEAN Central Bank Forum, and ASEAN and Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean Finance Ministers Mechanism (1999) added after the East Asian financial crisis. These mechanisms play their roles on different focuses. In addition to the increasing number of co-operation mechanism, the expansion of its function has also been noted. At present, the concept of these cooperation mechanisms can be summarized into six areas: financial market development, infrastructure construction (including the payment and settlement systems, security systems, and rating institutions, etc.). banking supervision, economic assessment and policy dialogue, crisis management. capacity building (training). In cooperating process, Chiang Mai Initiative is most noticeable. In May of 2000, the financial Ministers from 10+3 countries reached an agreement on the Chiang Mai Initiative in Chiang Mai in Thailand, marking that East Asian financial cooperation had entered a substantive stage, which is a landmark for the financial cooperation in East Asia. The main outcomes of financial cooperation in East Asia are Chiang Mai Initiative and the Asian Bond Fund. In the process of regional financial cooperation in East Asia, the currency swap arrangements under Chiang Mai Initiative between the ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea (10+3), as well as the Asian Bond Fund under the EMEAP are the two most important outcomes of the financial cooperation in East Asia by far. The article also gives a full attention to the impact of the global financial crisis on East Asian financial co-operation, as well as the new trends of the financial cooperation in East Asia, and highlights the initiatives should be taken for the East Asian financial cooperation.Chapter VI is about the relationship between China and the regional economic integration of East Asia and its strategies. This paper analyzes the co-operation between China and ASEAN, in particular the important role of China-AFTA, as well as the main obstacles for China to promote the construction of China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Area. Chinese economy has been integrated into the world economy, and has become an important component in the international division. If the past focus of Chinese opening up was bringing in, bringing in capital, technology, and human resources, the present opening should lay equal stress on bringing in and going out, while continuing to bring in, Chinese enterprises should go out to join the global competition, and take the use of foreign resources and markets to grow their own competitiveness. Faced with the risk of globalization and the trend of regionalization, particularly after the East Asian financial crisis, China's strategy has made the corresponding adjustments, that while continuing globalism and promoting the Doha Round negotiations, we give greater emphasis on regionalism, attaching importance to the regional economic cooperation with neighboring countries, so that to promote regional economic integration of East Asia. The general-secretary Hu Jintao pointed out in the report on China's 17th Party Congress that we should implement the free trade area strategy, combining our country's future economic development together with the promotion of regional economic cooperation, and raise the promotion of regional economic cooperation to a national strategy. This paper elaborates the importance of promoting regional economic integration of East Asia for China, and highlights China's strategy to promote integration of East Asia.
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