The Asian Experience for Europe: New Perspectives

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This article examines the first two decades of the transregional Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) from its inception with the Bangkok Summit of 1996. Examining instances of region building and the socialisation of states, it identifies the gradual emergence of a role for the forum, one that stands in some contrast to initial participant expectations. In this respect, rather than a structure for delivering substantive negotiated outcomes around issues such as trade liberalisation, the value of ASEM across its first 20 years came increasingly to be seen in its ideational aspects: identity building, norm diffusion, and dialogue without preconceptions.</abstract>

ASEM’s First Two Decades: A Role Discovered

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Singapore’s policies and approach towards the Asia-Pacific region are guided by conservative pragmatism dictated by two imperatives—the geographical constraints of a small city state without a hinterland or natural resources, and the constant need to stay economically competitive and politically relevant in order to survive and thrive. This chapter begins with an overview of the historical development of Singapore and then zooms in to focus on its foreign policy thinking and development approach and examines how these then translate into actual policy and posturing in its immediate neighbourhood and the broader Asia-Pacific region.</abstract>

Singapore Institute of International Affairs

Singapore’s Policy in the Asia-Pacific: ASEAN and Open Regionalism

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Japan’s diplomatic strategy toward East Asia underwent three main changes in the post-Cold War era. The first change occurred soon after the 1991 Persian Gulf War propelled Japan to consider a potential way to contribute to international security, resulting in the creation of dual-track diplomacy. The second was the consolidation of Japan’s dual-track diplomacy by strengthening the US–Japan alliance and supporting the ASEAN’s multilateral initiatives in the early 2000s. The third was the enhancement of Japan’s own security efforts to maintain regional stability while making the most of the existing political and security mechanisms in East Asia—multilateralizing US alliance networks and enhancing the ASEAN-led multilateral frameworks. In the future, two factors would likely play a critical role in shaping Japan’s diplomatic strategy: the degree of the future US commitment to the alliance with Japan and the level of China’s assertiveness.</abstract>

Japan’s Diplomatic Strategy toward East Asia: Creation and Evolution of ‘Dual-Track Diplomacy’ in the Post-Cold War Era

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In an increasingly globalised world, today’s international challenges such as climate change transcend national boundaries and require multi-level governance responses. Cities, in particular, stand out as an essential governing unit with huge potentials in resolving some of the 21st century’s most pressing concerns. The recent explosion of the phenomenon of city-networks reflects intensifying city-to-city interactions in addressing global environmental issues. This article examines the case of Tokyo in addressing challenges posed by climate change. Examining the origin, development, and diffusion of Tokyo’s climate change policy, the cap-and-trade scheme was found to have first diffused from Europe to Tokyo, adjusted to adapt to the local context, then further diffused to other Asian cities. Study of Tokyo’s experience demonstrates that policy formation does not always follow a centralized, top-down, command-and-control approach. This findings challenge conventional realist conception which emphasises the dominance of central authorities and sovereign states in global policy formation. Under the framework of global governance, this article argues that cities are important sites of policy experimentation and innovation, and that the case of Tokyo demonstrates the potential of cross-country policy diffusion.</abstract>

Cities &amp; International Policy Diffusion: The Case of Tokyo

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The rise of China has aroused heated debates on whether the country would become the “revisionist” power in challenging the supreme position of the “status quo” power, the United States. This paper aims to examine whether the rise of China would, firstly, empower Beijing to solve the long-term crisis in the Korean Peninsula, and secondly, complicates the picture in solving the difficult historical and political issues in Sino-Japanese relations. It is argued that the increasing economic and military capabilities of China are not instrumental in fostering significant changes within North Korea and in monitoring the external behavior of its leaders. A more nationalistic China which lacks soft power also hinders a favorable solution to the challenges of Sino-Japanese relations.</abstract>

The Rise of China and Its Implications to Northeast Asia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The article attempts to examine the relationship between Taiwan, a de facto political entity, and the People’s Republic of China (Mainland China) since 1949, the landmark year when the then ruling party KMT (The Nationalist Party) was defeated by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) in the Mainland. Essentially, the narrative is focused on the government policies by the two respective political entities. The PRC pledged to unify Taiwan again and subsequently its unification policies are delineated. A two-stage schema is proposed for the analysis, albeit the second stage can be further divided into three phases. As for Taiwan, a five-stage categorization is proposed. Moreover, three sets of factors influencing the cross-Strait relations would be discussed, namely the power dynamics within the PRC, internal development inside Taiwan and the role of the USA. Finally, the implications of the coming of Trump era are outlined.</abstract>

Independence or Reunification? The Evolving PRC–Taiwan Relations

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper argues that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a de-bordering mechanism makes a positive contribution to border security. Three central concepts—de-bordering, re-bordering and co-bordering—are used to examine the future of borders, and further develop the notion of the “cycle” of borders. This research adopts a political science perspective and combines the theory of borders with the Copenhagen School and Paris School of security, bearing in mind the BRI as an access strategy. Furthermore, the BRI elements of connectivity are central to de-bordering. Finally, this paper maintains that the BRI makes different contributions to border security, that borders are “alive”, and that they are the result of cooperative or antagonistic human interactions in which asymmetry in perception is the leading cause of conflict.</abstract>

The Mesmerizing Journey from Gyeongju to Lisbon: The BRI as a Mechanism of De-bordering, Re-bordering, and Co-bordering

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The debate about the benefits and the risks brought both to People’s Republic of China and to the other participant countries by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been gaining momentum in the academic and in the political landscapes. We argue that the BRI is the main pillar of the new financial institutionalism proposed by China to redefine the current global financial architecture and that, consequently, the initiative needs to be considered in that context. This paper (i) reviews the timeline that led to this Chinese-led new financial institutionalism, (ii) proposes two theoretical frameworks to define the concept of multilateral financial statecraft and of new financial institutionalism led by China, and (iii) enumerates the main differences and similarities observed between this new financial institutionalism and the one dominated by the Bretton Woods-related institutions that gradually emerged after World War II, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Marshall Plan, and the Asian Development Bank.</abstract>

ISEG-Lisbon School of Economics and Management

Institute for Research on Portuguese Speaking Countries

The Belt and Road Initiative: The Cornerstone of the New-Fangled Financial Institutionalism Led by China

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 13 (2023): Issue 2 (December 2023)

Volume 13 (2023): Issue 1 (June 2023)

Volume 12 (2022): Issue 2 (December 2022)

Volume 12 (2022): Issue 1 (May 2022)

Volume 11 (2021): Issue 2 (September 2021)

Volume 11 (2021): Issue 1 (May 2021)

Volume 10 (2020): Issue 3 (December 2020)

Volume 10 (2020): Issue 2 (September 2020)

Volume 10 (2020): Issue 1 (June 2020)

Volume 9 (2019): Issue 4 (December 2019)

Volume 9 (2019): Issue 3 (September 2019)

Volume 9 (2019): Issue 2 (September 2019)

Volume 9 (2019): Issue 1 (June 2019)

Volume 8 (2018): Issue 2 (September 2018)

Volume 8 (2018): Issue 1 (June 2018)

Volume 7 (2017): Issue 2 (October 2017)

Volume 7 (2017): Issue 1 (June 2017)

Volume 6 (2016): Issue 2 (October 2016)

Volume 6 (2016): Issue 1 (February 2016)

Volume 5 (2015): Issue 2 (October 2015)

Volume 5 (2015): Issue 1 (February 2015)

Volume 4 (2014): Issue 2 (October 2014)

Volume 4 (2014): Issue 1 (June 2014)

Volume 3 (2013): Issue 3 (December 2013)

Volume 3 (2013): Issue 2 (October 2013)

Volume 3 (2013): Issue 1 (June 2013)

TalTech Journal of European Studies

 TalTech Journal of European Studies (abbreviation TJES) is a semiannual international peer-reviewed research journal (formerly known as the Baltic Journal of European Studies and Proceedings of the Institue for European Studies) with an international editorial office and extensive international editorial board. The journal is abstracted in SCOPUS, Web of Science (Emerging Sources Citation Index) and other relevant databases. Since 2020, the scope of the journal is related to digitalisation and technology implementation and their impact in the social, legal, political, economic and cultural domains in the European Union and its Member States. We kindly encourage members of the academic community to contribute to our journal. Papers submitted to the forthcoming issues will be reviewed by eminent scholars in the particular field under strict supervision of the international editorial board. Special issues   BJES 2013 Vol. 3 Issue 3 was guest co-edited by Natalia Chaban and Martin Holland (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)  BJES 2014 Vol. 4 Issue 2 was prepared in cooperation with Latvian European Community Studies Association (LECSA)  BJES 2017 Vol. 7 Issue 2 has been supported by the European Commission’s Jean Monnet Module “Digital Single Market as a New Core of European Union Studies”, project reference number 587255-EPP-1-2017-1-EE-EPPJMO-MODULE.   BJES 2018 Vol. 8 Issues 1 and 2 have been supported by the project ‘Digital Single Market as a Key Element in EU-oriented Georgian Higher Education’ (no. 155-2016-A), funded by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid. TJES 2023 Vol. 13 Issue 1 was guest edited by Viktorija Skvarciany (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania).      Why submit  TJES is an effective channel of academic dissemination as it is widely read and distributed through Baltic and European research networks and libraries and read by policy makers as well.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 