From Going Beyond the “Nation-State” to the Construction of the “East Asia Community”? Myths About “East Asia New Regionalism”

With the deepening of globalization, geographically speaking, East Asian countries have proceeded from their respective realist positions and tried to promote the successful practice of economic cooperation between  countries after the Cold War into a discussion of new regionalism in East Asia and Asia-Pacificism. Although the prototype of the “East Asia Community” led by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gradually emerged, the successful practice of the East Asia Summit proved that the low-binding regional integration model led by ASEAN has a high probability of becoming a classic sample of the “East Asia Community”. It not only maintains regional stability, promotes regional cooperation, shapes regional norms, but also builds a collective identity within the region. However, in today’s world, isolationism which takes the supremacy of national  interests as the supremacy has risen. It is difficult to internalize the value identity into a super-national model   that breaks through the principles of realism, breakthroughs in interests, and the power framework. The thorny issues pose various challenges to the nation-states in the region trying to integrate into regional integration. The openness of East Asian regionalism has led to the persistent illness of its generalization. In the context of insufficient political mutual trust among regional countries, intensified competition among major powers, and continued weakening of ASEAN leadership, it is often prone to controversy and doubt when proposing new cooperation initiatives or ideas. The idea of the “East Asia Community” that once guided East Asian cooperation and was temporarily ignored now is still the most realistic choice. Although the theoretical construction and practical roads of East Asian regionalism are full of thorns, difficulties coexist with opportunities. With the extensive participation of countries in the region, the optimization and reconstruction of the East Asian cooperation model will be worth looking forward to.