Asian Economic Integration Research Articles

Assessing ASEAN Economic Integration Progress and South Korea's Approach Focusing on TBT and SPS

Assessing ASEAN Economic Integration Progress and South Korea's Approach Focusing on TBT and SPS

Sustainable Development In Southeast Asia: Lessons, Partnerships, and English

The objective of this manuscript is to provide an all-encompassing examination of the Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum and its function in advancing Southeast Asian economic integration, sustainable development, and regional cooperation. The analysis encompasses pivotal subjects deliberated upon during the forum, the consequences of regional collaboration on economic progress, and the function of regional establishments like ASEAN in cultivating cooperation. The critical assessment underscores the importance of collaborative strategies, partnerships, and the exchange of knowledge in furthering the objectives of sustainable development. Moreover, the implications of this analysis for the development of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum in 2024 are examined in the paper. It emphasizes the significance of critical thinking, problem-solving, technology integration, cultural competence, awareness of ASEAN and regional institutions, communication skills, and the incorporation of global issues into academic and professional writing. English language learners can make a meaningful contribution to sustainable development in Southeast Asia and engage in active participation in regional cooperation by integrating these components into the curriculum.

Institutional Integration Factors That Impact Students’ Academic and Intellectual Developments: A Case Study of Three Cambodian Rural Universities

Following the end of the 28-year civil war in 1998, the number of Cambodian higher education institutions rose substantially to 125 over the next two decades (MoEYS, 2022). Furthermore, as a result of the ASEAN economic community's integration in 2015, Cambodia has been focusing more on enhancing its educational system in response to the rapid development of these educational institutions. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of institutional integration elements on students' academic and intellectual development in three rural universities in Cambodia. Despite numerous research undertaken in developed countries, only few cases have been conducted in least developed countries. This type of research has not been conducted, particularly in Cambodian context. That is why the research will be created and carried out to fill gaps in prior studies of industrialized and developing nations, particularly Cambodia, which has had difficult higher education institutions. This research would be helpful to improve educational experiences in Cambodian rural public universities. This research also helps to a better understanding of how institutional integration elements affect students' academic and intellectual development. The quantitative cross-sectional survey method was utilized in this investigation. A self-reported questionnaire was given out. The participants were 381 third-year students from three Cambodian rural institutions who were chosen at random using stratified random sampling. The data was analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) tools. According to the statistical findings, three hypotheses had a substantial influence on student's academic and intellectual growth, while one hypothesis was rejected. The findings suggest potential institutional variables for integrating students into social and academic activities to support their academic and intellectual efforts. Furthermore, Cambodian public higher education institutions are encouraged to enhance their academics and academic-related concerns in order to prepare students to compete in regional and international markets. There are also limitations and suggestions for future research.

Sustainable Ecotourism Development in the Context of ASEAN Economic Community Integration: The Study of Phu Yen Province, Vietnam

Sustainable Ecotourism Development in the Context of ASEAN Economic Community Integration: The Study of Phu Yen Province, Vietnam

IMPACT OF ASEAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION ON INVESTMENT IN THE ASEAN REGION

Economic integration in ASEAN is a long process which until now has periodically shown significant progress. However, ASEAN's economic integration, especially in the field of economic growth, has been achieved by opening up local markets to regional markets through cooperation. This research is legally discussed. Analysis of the data used, namely empirical data will also be presented to complete the discussion. The results of the discussion show that countries in the ASEAN region are able to create a stable trade climate and are able to offer large potential benefits from trade carried out in ASEAN countries. With the economic integration, ASEAN countries are able to increase their competitiveness not only at the regional level, but also at the global level.

Central Asian Integration: Specific Features of the Region

The article discusses specific features of the Central Asian (economic) integration process within the five former republics of the USSR: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize the Central Asian (economic) integration, considering the specific regional features that distinguish it from other regions of the world.

Impact of Inflation and Exchange Rate on ASEAN Income Inequality

The study aims to examine and analyse the inequality of income in ASEAN countries. The income inequality among ASEAN countries was measured by using the Williamson index. The trend of inequality was also described in a graph. Furthermore, the affecting factors of the inequality of income such as economic growth, inflation and exchange rate were analyzed by using panel data regression. The study used the data from 1994 to 2019. The results showed that the average of Williamson index is 0.71, which indicates the high inequality in ASEAN. Meanwhile, the trend of inequality during the last 25 years showed a decline from year to year. The result shows that the income inequality is affected by inflation and exchange rate significantly. Consequently, this highlights the significance of exchange rate and inflation on the reduction of inequality and also the promotion of ASEAN economic integration.

Asian Development Bank, Asian Economic Integration Report 2021 ‘Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific’

Asian Development Bank, <i>Asian Economic Integration Report 2021 ‘Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific’</i>

“RCEP from the middle powers’ Perspective”

ABSTRACT East Asian countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) in November 2020. This paper demonstrates the importance of ASEAN centrality in East Asian economic integration and makes a preliminary assessment of the agreement in terms of the four expected roles: liberalization, rulemaking, reducing policy risks, and forming a pro-trade middle power coalition. The comparison with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) reveals the strengths and weaknesses of RCEP. The paper emphasizes the importance of dynamic aspects of mega-FTAs after being in effect and claims that RCEP must be further developed as an evolving agreement.

Guest Editors’ Remarks] Special Theme 2: Asian and European Economic Integration at a Crossroads

Guest Editors’ Remarks] Special Theme 2: Asian and European Economic Integration at a Crossroads

Trade flow of manufacturing sector and foreign direct investment in ASEAN economic integration: the gravity model of trade

This study aims to determine the effects of ASEAN economic integration on the manufacturing sector's trade flow and foreign direct investment. This study using panel data regression. The results show that ASEAN economic integration affects trade in the manufacturing sector and foreign direct investment (FDI) in ASEAN member countries. The tariff elimination policy increased trade flows in the manufacturing sector and foreign direct investment. The variable of GDP has a positive and significant effect on the manufacturing sector's trade flows and foreign direct investment. Exchange rate variables have a negative and significant effect on trade flows in the manufacturing sector and foreign direct investment. Meanwhile, the distance variable negatively affects trade in the manufacturing sector, but it does not affect foreign direct investment.

The ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN economic integration

ABSTRACT ASEAN realized the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015. The AEC is an economic integration whose goals are free movement of goods, services, investment, and skilled workers, and freer movement of capital. Following the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN deepened its economic integration through the AEC. Evaluations of ASEAN’s economic integration are mixed. While highly praised for its steady integration progress, there are also assessments suggesting there is little progress in integration. This study examines the AEC’s economic integration and evaluates ASEAN economic integration, including the AFTA. The AEC is an “FTA-plus” economic integration, and its target and level of market integration are similar to those of the Economic Partnership Agreement. The AEC’s greatest achievement is using tariff elimination to realize a free trade area with a high level of trade liberalization. Liberalizing trade in services, eliminating non-tariff barriers, and facilitating trade have been delayed and have become issues for AEC2025. AEC2025 aims to participate in the global value chain, and its measure is the attraction of foreign direct investment. Although ASEAN’s economic integration has various issues, as a whole, it can be evaluated as successful because of its implementation of flexible liberalization over time. ASEAN’s economic integration is a successful example of economic integration by developing countries; other developing countries can learn lessons from ASEAN’s experiences.

The ASEAN Economic Community and the RCEP in the world economy

ABSTRACT The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been leading economic integration within many structural changes in the world economy. ASEAN, established in 1967, has promoted regional economic integration since 1976. It started to work toward realizing the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1992 and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2003. ASEAN finally established the AEC at the end of 2015. The AEC is the most developed and advanced economic integration in East Asia. ASEAN is deepening the AEC for the next goal, AEC 2025. ASEAN also led East Asian cooperation initiatives, including ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+6, and ASEAN+1 FTAs. ASEAN proposed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and led the RCEP negotiations. Currently, rising protectionism and the US–China trade friction has great negative impacts on ASEAN and East Asia. Furthermore, the outbreak of COVID-19 has done great damage to ASEAN and East Asia. ASEAN is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening the AEC steadily amidst growing protectionism and COVID-19 pandemic. The RCEP agreement was finally signed in November 2020. The RCEP is the first East Asian mega FTA. The RCEP has great meaning in ASEAN and East Asia. ASEAN secured ASEAN centrality in East Asian economic integration. The AEC and the RCEP will become more important amidst rising protectionism, and during and in the post-pandemic era.

ASEAN Economic Integration on Services: An Analysis of Economic Impacts and Implications

아세안은 2018년 아세안서비스기본협정(AFAS: ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services)의 10차 패키지 협상을 마무리하고, 2020년 아세안서비스무역협정(ATISA: ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement)에 서명하는 등 역내 서비스자유화를 위한 노력을 지속하고 있다. 이에 본 연구는 아세안의 서비스시장 통합 현황을 파악하고, 그 경제적 효과를 분석하고자 하였다. ASEAN has been pursuing economic integration on services since 1995, reducing trade restrictions on services to ASEAN member states through the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) packages commitments. ASEAN signed the ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA) on October 2020, which includes built-in agenda to convert members' commitments to a negative approach, replacing the AFAS 10th package. Upon this backdrop, this report aims to analyze the current status of economic integration on services among ASEAN members and the impact of such commitments on ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries. The targets of AFAS packages are summarized as follows: (i) eliminating Mode 1 and 2 restrictions, (ii) substantially eliminating market access limitations regarding Mode 3, and (iii) raising minimum ASEAN equity participation to 70%. Upon reviewing the commitments concluded in the AFAS 10th package, Myanmar, the Philippines and Viet Nam were yet to reach the thresholds, and the overall degree of openness among ASEAN member states regarding Mode 3 restrictions remained relatively low. Meanwhile, ASEAN has restricted liberalization on the movement of natural persons (Mode 4), and signed the ASEAN Agreement on Movement of Natural Persons (AAMNP) in 2012 for facilitating the movement of high-skilled labor only. According to the theoretical model used in this report, ASEAN's approach to Mode 4 liberalization could be appropriate. This is because, if the endowment gaps among countries are large enough, factor mobility could lead to agglomeration of productions in a single large country. However, if there is a complementary relationship between the modes, ASEAN's efforts to lower trade barriers in the services sector are not expected to be effective as long as they pursue such asymmetric liberalization among modes of supply. Therefore, it would be proper to adopt different liberalization strategies regarding Mode 4 barriers depending on whether each service sector has inter-modal substitution or complementarity. (the rest omitted)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Regional Integration in Asia

In Asia, SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation), ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) are being considered as an active regional trading blocs although East Asian integration is on primary cooperation stage and BIMSTEC is treated as organised sub-regional trading bloc. The GCC has completed all criterion of economic integration except introduction of a single currency and ASEAN is advancing its optimum stage of monetary integration but the advancement of SAARC is halted by the shock of non-cooperation from Pakistan. Therefore, contribution of GCC in integrating Asian bloc is to scrutinise in a new outlook. In this paper, the author endeavours to show the impact of economic integration of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the Asian economic integration in the sense that the process of integration of GCC with SAARC and ASEAN can accelerate the criterion of Asian integration process. Therefore, the author used cointegration and vector error correction model among the indicators of trade integration of exports such as Asian export share, intra export share of GCC, export concentration index of GCC, ASEAN’s export with GCC and SAARC’s export with GCC during 1995-2019. Similarly, the author applied same methodology among the trade indicator of imports such as Asian import share, intra import share of GCC, import concentration index of GCC, ASEAN’s import with GCC and SAARC’s import with GCC during the specified period. The findings revealed that Asian export share has long run significant causalities with SAARC and ASEAN export shares to GCC. Intra export share of GCC has long run causalities with SAARC and ASEAN export shares to GCC. The export concentration index of GCC has significant long run causalities with SAARC and ASEAN export shares to GCC respectively. Even, the short run causalities from export concentration index of GCC to intra export share of GCC, export share of ASEAN and SAARC with GCC and the short run causality from ASEAN export share with GCC to export share of Asia and from intra export share of GCC to export share of ASEAN with GCC were strictly observed. Again, the import share of Asia has long run causalities with the import shares of ASEAN and SAARC with GCC. The intra import share of GCC has long run causalities with the import shares of ASEAN and SAARC with GCC and the import concentration index of GCC has long run causalities with the import shares of ASEAN and SAARC with GCC respectively. The intra import share of GCC has short run causalities with import share of Asia, import concentration index of GCC and import share of ASEAN with GCC respectively. The import concentration index has short run causality with the import share of Asia. The import share of SAARC with GCC has short run causality with import share of ASEAN with GCC. The cointegration and vector error correction among Asian GDP, sum of intra export and import shares of GCC, sum of export and import shares of ASEAN with GCC, and sum of export and import shares of SAARC with GCC during 1995-2019 indicated that the GDP of Asia has long run causalities with the sum of intra export and import shares of GCC, the sum of export and import shares of ASEAN with GCC and the sum of export and import shares of SAARC with GCC and even they have short run causalities also. All these observations can justify that GCC has great impact on Asian economic integration process associated with SAARC and ASEAN.

Is a New Asian Monetary Fund Emerging?

The plan initiated by Japan for forming an Asian Monetary Fund in a mode of ASEAN+3 countries after Asian financial crisis in 1997 was not realised due to opposition from USA, IMF and China and the plan was revamped through CMI multilateral currency swap and pacific nation’s joining with US Dollar hegemony but at present it is confronting Chinese supremacy over the region. Thus, in this paper the author thought of forming a new Asian bloc consisting of SAARC, ASEAN, GCC, China, Japan and Korea for which a new framework of Asian Monetary Fund can be set up with a view to not only supplying additional liquidity in crisis period as well as for developmental finance but also can function for issuing a common currency of the new Asian bloc that is a currency basket which will be formed by currencies of China, Japan and Korea and the currencies of blocs viz SAARC, ASEAN and GCC where unit of account of currency will be measured by gold or silver and the exchange of currency unit of Asia is primarily fixed with Chinese Yuan. The exchange rates of all currencies in the basket will be calculated daily through floating exchange rate mechanism in Asian bloc and common currency will also be floated in SDR basket if CUA is included in SDR basket. The exchange rates will be maintained by Asian Monetary Fund through target zone of ±2.5% fluctuation. The plan also requires monetary and trade integration as well as political integration with the implementation of Asian stock exchange institute, Asian Parliament, Asian Security council, Asian Central Bank and Asian Clearing Union respectively. The common barriers like Sino-Japan rivalry, US dollar hegemony, non-cooperation from IMF, premature OCA criteria and low capital market internationalisation may delay the process of Asian Economic Integration towards formation of a new Asian Monetary Fund.

Revisiting Asian economic integration: challenges and prospects

Covering major Asian economic blocs and dialogues, this study comprehensively reviews the progress of “Asian” economic integration. The empirical results show that comprehensive, continent-wide economic integration in Asia is unlikely to happen soon since integration has been mainly confined to East and Southeast Asia, while other regions are much less integrated and globalised. However, the achievement of gradual integration would mutually benefit all members through capacity building, technological development, labour supply enlargement, and market expansion. With the forthcoming success of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ single market and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, this study also argues that the attributes proposed in the previous literature, e.g. historical reconciliation, common institution, and economic, politic, and social heterogeneity are irrelevant in the context of Asian economic integration. Instead, the scope, depth, and sequencing of the integration process, coupled with supporting geopolitical factors, largely explain the success of the Asia model.

紹介：石川幸一・馬田啓一・清水一史編著『アジアの経済統合と保護主義――変わる通商秩序の構図――』:文眞堂 2019年 x ⅲ ＋ 219ページ

紹介：石川幸一・馬田啓一・清水一史編著『アジアの経済統合と保護主義――変わる通商秩序の構図――』:文眞堂 2019年 x ⅲ ＋ 219ページ

Economic Integration in Asia: Key Prospects and Challenges with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, edited by MukherjeeDeeparghya, Routledge Studies of the Modern World Economy Series (Abingdon, Routledge, 2019), pp. 204.

Economic Integration in Asia: Key Prospects and Challenges with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, edited by MukherjeeDeeparghya, Routledge Studies of the Modern World Economy Series (Abingdon, Routledge, 2019), pp. 204.

Challenges and constraints in the design of an ESP course in Cambodia: implications for higher education institutions

ABSTRACT Global economic exchange and trade have led to the expansion of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in many Asian higher education institutions. A similar demand for ESP course design is observed in the Cambodian higher education context, mainly triggered by the ASEAN economic integration in 2015, which introduced English as the working language of the ASEAN member countries. Despite the development of ESP courses in the Asian region, research on how ESP course development addresses Asian student needs remains limited. To address this gap, this study examined the perceptions of both academic and industry stakeholders on challenges and measures needed for designing an ESP course in the field of STEM in a Cambodian tertiary institution. Data were obtained using document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 24 stakeholders, which were thematically analysed. Several challenges were reported, which comprised shortage of appropriate ESP training for teachers, lack of teacher motivation, students’ low English proficiency and difficulties in materials development for that context. The study discusses recommendations for ESP course design in STEM in the higher education context in Cambodian and other Asian EFL contexts with similar circumstances.