Covid-19 as a catalyst of asymmetric bilateralism: ASEM’s vulnerable position and economic salience as a saviour of the EU-Asia multilateral relations

Abstract

The unprecedented global health crisis caused by COVID-19 has unleashed individual, self-centredresponses in most states, including Asian and European countries. Multilateralism may be moreimperative than ever, but the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) does not seem to epitomise a feasibleinternational platform to guide cooperation. This article attempts to assess whether the ASEM stillconstitutes a relevant instrument of intercontinentalism, as there seem to be indications suggestingthat EU-Asia relations will not abandon their apparent multilateral stalemate. In fact, ASEM couldrather deepen asymmetries between a highly institutionalised EU and an institutionally devoid Asia.Notwithstanding, the current pandemic offers ASEM an unprecedented opportunity to recover somesalience as a relevant multilateral EU-Asia platform, namely, the centrality of economics. Given theirremediable necessity to strengthen economic cooperation to alleviate the impact of COVID-19, this isa unique opportunity to strengthen connectivity as well as a multilateral cooperation and governancethat would otherwise blur.