Both Europe and the Asia Pacific agree their relationship is important. For many years it has been considered the weakest leg of the trilateral international system with US/Asia- Pacific relations at the forefront. In the last few years, however, real efforts have been made to broaden and enhance the ties that bind Europe and Asia. This book is organised into five sections that examine the basic aspects of Europe/Asia Pacific relations. The first covers the historical background; the second is concerned with the contemporary political setting; and the third with the vitally important economic situation. The last two parts deal with security considerations and policy initiatives. All have been compiled by leading experts from both regions. Europe and the Asia-Pacific is the most wide ranging and accessible study currently available of this increasingly important relationship. It is the product of the Council for Asia-Europe cooperation (CAEC), a body of think tanks that supports the Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM) process.
Suchit Bunbongkarn Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; Soedjati Dijiwandono Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta; Harry Harding, George Washington Univers