System Of Regional Cooperation In East Asia

Since 1980s, East Asia regional cooperation has enjoyed rapid development. This thesis wishes to adopt relevant international relation theories as analytical tools and make use of individual cases to expatiate the relationship between international institutions and international cooperation, and carry out thorough study of main modals of East Asia regional cooperation. The thesis stresses the importance of a set of international institutions which are recognized and accepted by most member economies and which takes serious consideration of each economy's interest and respects the difference among them.The introduction part briefly describes current East Asia's regional cooperation: ASEAN,APEC and the cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea.The first chapter puts forward the issue f study. As there is institutional absence in East Asia's regional cooperation, it is necessary to set up a set of promissory and dynamic institutions which meet the interest needs of individual economies of this region and follows the theory of transaction cost. In addition, this chapter explains the significance and method of study of this issue.The second chapter defines main concepts of the thesis. It also narrates main viewpoints of neo-institutionalism and gives primary analysis of the relationship between international institutions and international cooperation with the help of international relations theory.The fourth chapter is the core chapter of the thesis. With the help of institutional analysis, it gives thorough study of main modals of East Asia cooperation, that is, ASEAN, APEC and 10+3. With regard to ASEAN, firstly, it is of intergovernmental summit and ministerial meetings; secondly, it operates in a way of negotiating unanimity; and thirdly, it adopts a highly flexible cooperation principle; fourthly, it strives for an all-around cooperation. In the case of APEC, it is an informal governmental forum; secondly, till now, it has not set up a set of highly efficient and right institutions; thirdly it has not formed a common value concept; and fourthly, it is short of interior force of integration. For 10+3, firstly, it pays more attention to set-up and coordination of cooperation institutions; secondly, it strictly follows the tradition and current situation of interstate relations in its decision making process; and thirdly, there is serious absence and inversion in its leadership. Meanwhile, this chapter analyzes non-institutional factors in East Asia cooperation, such as identification, orientation, goal and security.The fourth chapter introduces research method and concepts of transaction cost theory of institutional economics and through them, tries to gain deeper understanding of main modals in the course of East Asia cooperation. At the end, it narrates that to lower the transaction cost, it is necessary to innovate institution as has shown in the example of APEC.The conclusion part briefly reviews the process of East Asia cooperation and analyzes main arrangements of cooperation regimes and choice of institutions. It points out the importance of a set of international institutions which are recognized and accepted by most member economies and which take serious consideration of each economy's interest and respects the difference among them.,...