INTRO

Asian regionalism is the product of economic interaction, not political planning. As a result of
successful, outward oriented growth strategies, Asian economies have grown not only richer,
but also closer together. In recent years, new technological trends have further strengthened
ties among them. Asian regionalism contribute to the growth of a nation. Promoting trade and
economic cooperation was the original incentive for enhancing Asian Regionalism. Regional
security mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Council for Security
Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), and Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD)
emerged in the 1990s, and helped not only to institutionalize regional security dialogue
processes, but also strengthen the desire for regional cooperation on more varied aspects of
international relations. Market-led regionalism has proven its value and is now progressively
becoming more institutionalized. The evidence to date suggests that Asia’s experience in
regionalism has been very successful, in terms of economic or even social aspect.

Conclusion
Asian Regionalism indeed brings a lot to nation. We cannot deny that it contributes a lot in
different aspect like the economic growth of countries. Asian Regionalism had obvious success
in maintaining a peaceful international environment. The absence of war among the different
countries during the last 30 years as well as to the organization’s growth reflects the
importance of Asian Regionalism. Also, it been able to influence real economic cooperation
and make significant impact on important sectors such as countries protection.
Lastly, criticisms of Asian regionalism and regional institutions are not without merit. Yet, they
do not warrant the view that investing in Asian regionalism is a waste of resources and time, or
that the Asian institutions have not made positive contributions to regional stability and
prosperity. But rather the benefits of regionalism and continued institution-building far outweigh
its costs, and the region would be a more dangerous and uncertain place without it, without the
existence of Asian Regionalism.
Economic
Asian economies are becoming closely intertwined. It remains predominantly nondiscriminatory
and outward-oriented. Rather, interdependence is deepening because Asia’s economies have
grown large and prosperous enough to become important to each other, and because their
patterns of production increasingly depend on networks that span several Asian economies and
involve wide ranging exchanges of parts and components among them. Asia is at the center of
the development of such production networks because it has efficient transport and
communication links, as well as policies geared to supporting trade. As these new production
patterns tie Asian economies closer together, they also boost the international competitiveness
of the region’s firms.
Asian economies have been able to take advantage of the aspects of preferential trading
agreements in fostering regional cooperation and addressing shared concerns while avoiding
many of the drawbacks. Asian regionalism's effects on trade in Asian countries encourage a
country to specialize in producing only those goods and services which it can produce more
effectively and efficiently, and at the lowest opportunity cost. The quality of goods and services
is likely to increase as competition encourages innovation, design and the application of new
technologies.
Effective free trade agreements (FTAs) have only recently come to Asia. For most of the last 60
years, Asian FTAs were scarce and the ones that existed had not been substantially
implemented, except for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade
Agreement (AFTA). All that changed in the year 2000. Since then, close to 190 FTAs have
emerged both within the region and with countries in other regions. The region that at the
beginning of the century had almost no FTAs is now the region with too many to count.
So what is the sense of saying Asian Regionalism doesn’t help in the economic growth? Given
the fact that Asia’s economies have grown large and prosperous because of Asian
Regionalism?
Free trade is an economic practice whereby countries can import and export goods without fear
of government intervention. Government intervention includes tariffs and import/export bans or
limitations. Free trade offers several benefits to countries. According to a widely used definition,
countries advance their economy through strategic free trade agreements and that is what is
present in our world today, a free trade which also exist because of AR and with these trading
countries became developed.
There is the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) which has given “Filipino consumers more goods
to choose from at relatively cheaper prices. AFTA has raised the level of competition among
suppliers and producers in the region, which benefits consumers in the sense that it has led to
the production of higher quality products, more options for similar products, greater accessibility
in finding products, and more importantly, products that come in more competitive and wallet-
friendly prices.”
Trade is so important for ordinary people. It’s opportunity for new jobs.
Social
Asian Regionalism increases employment between countries interaction,
The exchange of free information and skills is essential to the development of Asian
countries. Nationals can work abroad increasing productivity and it is a way for more job
opportunities, similar to the Philippines, more opportunies for the Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs). Facilitation of visas and employment passes for skilled labor ensure
the protection of the workers. It became an opportunity for the people to open up to new
cultures and expand their horizons.

Sandara Park (K-pop)

South Korea and Japan’s friendship Milk tea business
Cultural
Asian Regionalism
Asian Regionalism’s one advantages that it had made in centuries is boosting different
countries’ economic growth by merely sharing one’s culture to another. One of the examples is
the Hallyu in the Philippines. "Hallyu" refers to the "wave" of the popularity of South Korean
entertainment and culture starting in the late 1990s. It reached the Philippines with the first
Korean telenovelas aired locally in 2003. How did this Korean wave exactly help the
Philippines? And how do we exchange culture with Korea?
1. Expansion of the middle class
Since 2003, the influence of "Hallyu" has been particularly significant in the production of
telenovelas, the first success of the Korean Wave in the Philippines, according to Dr.
Crisanta Flores. Dr. Flores, a professor of Filipino Literature at the University of the
Philippines in Diliman, told RAPPLER that Korean soap operas were initially quite
different from the locally-produced series. "From the usual poverty-ridden (Filipino)
narratives, the (Korean) stories are light," she said. This is because the target audience
of the Korean drama is not the poor but the lower middle class, with aspirations to
advance in their economic and social status. "The effect on the Filipino audience," Dr.
Flores explained, "Is that when they view urban scenes of Seoul, there is a dream, an
aspiration to go to Korea." Korean soap operas "are an expression of the expansion of
the lower middle class," she said.
2. K-pop
Or Korean Pop K-Pop is also becoming more and more popular among the Filipino
youth, thanks to the Internet and crowdsourcing, according to marketing consultant
Katherine Choy. Choy, who works for music events organizing company Astroplus, said
that crowdsourcing enables the fans to feel closer to their idols in a way that Western
music cannot give them. "The fans are able to (share) their fan art, (get) info about their
idols, and the idols themselves are able to communicate with their fans in a personal
way through online." Choy stressed that Korean cultural products in general are "not a
fad anymore" and K-Pop in particular should now be considered a musical genre on its
own, especially now that it is "infiltrating the global scene" beyond Asia. (Rappler.com)
Evidence: As South Korea rides on the popularity of the “Korean Wave” through its
cultural exports, there are expectations for the Koreans to initiate more cultural activities
in the Philippines. True to its increasing soft power projections, South Korea has
organized various initiatives to promote its culture among Filipinos. In recent years, there
have been regular Korean film festivals, cultural performances, and K-pop concerts in
the country. Because of these, South Korea has gradually endeared itself as a nation to
the Filipino public. As a result, Filipinos share a general appreciation for Korean dramas
shown on local TV and a growing patronage of Korean brands such as Samsung, LG,
and Hyundai. However, just as there is an increasing presence of Hallyu in the country,
so must the Philippines also strengthen its cultural promotion in South Korea. The
growing popularity of Korean culture should not merely be one-directional, but must also
prompt the Philippines to intensify the promotion of its culture to South Korea towards a
more meaningful and mutually beneficial cultural exchange. This can be actively
advanced through Philippine tourism campaigns in South Korea, which must
concurrently highlight the Philippines’ rich heritage and multicultural society. Cultural
activities such as film festivals, barrio fiestas, furniture exhibits, and food fairs are some
of the ways that the Philippines can promote its culture in South Korea. Aside from
“bringing the Philippines” to South Korea, the country can also promote its culture to the
Koreans in the Philippines. With the large number of Korean tourists visiting, local tour
packages and popular tourist destinations can extensively feature the many aspects and
variety of Philippine culture. These tour itineraries can feature a cultural performance in
Intramuros, a local food trip in Pampanga, or a visit to an Igorot village in Ifugao, among
others. These efforts not only present the history and beauty of the various places in the
Philippines, but also highlight the interesting local cultures originating from these sites.
Philippine government agencies, civil society organizations, and academic institutions in
the country can also organize similar or other cultural and social activities. These
activities, such as inviting Koreans to town fiestas, organizing forums on Philippine
society, and promoting Filipino languages to Korean students, can promote mutual
understanding and reduce tensions between Filipinos and Koreans living in the county.
3. Tourism
"If you look at the population of those four countries, the smallest is Korea, but how
come they are the top source of tourists? ...There is something they found in the
Philippines that keeps them coming back," Philippine Ambassador to Korea Luis Cruz
said in an interview with Radio-TV. He said it is common knowledge that Koreans want
to learn English in bilingual Philippines, but they also enjoy the country's holiday and
leisure destinations.
"I know for a fact that many come to the Philippines over the weekend to play golf. For
the women of leisure, they come to us for shopping, for spa and other entertainment
activities," Cruz said.
A Gallup poll, which the Department of Tourism used to implement programs targeting
Koreans, shows that Koreans are fond of Filipino seafood dishes as well, Cruz said.
Cruz also traced the two countries' shared history and said Filipinos' assistance in their
rehabilitation following the Korean War could also explain Koreans' high regard for
Filipinos. "We have a very long history of bilateral relations ... During the Korean War in
1950, we sent more than 7,000 troops over a five-year period," he shared.
Cruz recounted that the country also sent more people to Korea to help in its rebuilding
efforts after a ceasefire between the two Koreas in 1953.
Evidence: According to Foreign Service Institute, the Philippines regards South Korea
as a valuable market for local tourism. In 2012, there were 1,031,155 Koreans who
visited the country, accounting for 24.13 percent of the total tourist arrivals.This has
made South Korea the top source of foreign tourists to the Philippines since 2006. Most
Korean tourists visit the Philippines for various purposes. They usually visit the country
for family tours and honeymoon trips. They spend their vacations in various resorts and
beaches in Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan. Moreover, many Korean students come
to the Philippines to learn English because of the country’s significantly cheaper cost of
education. This positive development is expected to further motivate the Philippines in
strengthening its marketing strategies and tourism cooperation with South Korea.
Banking on its “More Fun in the Philippines” campaign, the government is already
aggressively operationalizing its promotional tactics in South Korea to lure more Korean
tourists (both repeat and first-time visitors) to the Philippines. It is hoped that the
Philippine government and the local tour associations’ strong linkages with Korean tour
operators will be instrumental in the promotion of the Philippines as a top tourist
destination for the Korean market
. 4. Food and Business
Many Filipinos first learned about Korean cuisine through South Korean dramas like
“Jewel In The Palace.” In the fictionalized story of Dae Jang Geum, Korea’s first female
court physician was portrayed as a palace cookturned-doctor. The show featured the
grand court cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty—steaming hotpots, brightly colored
vegetables served in a gujeolpan (nine-section plate), and bowls of fine meat. However,
the art of Korean cuisine goes beyond what we see in historical epics and television
dramas. Ambassador Lee adds how our similar cultures help our people in gravitating
towards each other.
"We share a similar culture. Our family values and also, I think the Koreans tend to take
care of their families, friends, and their other neighbors also. Koreans are very
compassionate like the Philippines. We both treasure family very much. Koreans and
Filipinos help each other. That's why we feel very close to each other," he says. Koreans
also import food from the Philippines.
Lee says the Philippines dominates about 90% of the market share in Korea when it
comes to pineapples. He adds that almost all the bananas and mangoes that Koreans
consume come from the Philippines. Filipinos, meanwhile, are more inclined to import
electronics and cars from Korea. "Economically, our two-way trade volume exceeded 10
billion dollars last year. I think it reached about $11 billion and this year, trade volume is
expected to exceed last years."
Education
In the Aspect of education countries became develop because of the existence of Asian
Regionalism.
South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong beat 39 countries in the Global Index of
Cognitive and Educational Attainment compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit which
measures learning ability as well as literacy and graduation rates.
And an accompanying report said that these countries are all characterized by a strong
community culture dedicated to education.
"It's not the education as such but more cultural factors surrounding it" John Jerrim at the
Institute of Education (IOE) told CNBC in a telephone interview.

As economies in the Asian region have grown larger and more complex, they have also become more
integrated through economic and social exchange. Higher education is seen to have an ever more
important role in human resource development and the movement of people, students, and the
workforce in the region.

South Korea and Australia both also have unique contributions to make. South Korea, along with
Singapore, is the most cosmopolitan country in East Asia, and continues to send many students to
countries throughout the world. Australia has played a special role, not only as the region’s key supplier
of many raw materials, but also as the one sizeable Caucasian country that is in effect in Asia. No
country outside South Korea has trained a higher percentage of its population in Japanese language and
culture. No country outside Indonesia has done more to study Indonesia. Accordingly, Australia
continues to play a key role in maintaining security within the Asia-Pacific.

>K+12
DIFFERENCES
Asia is undoubtedly more diverse than any other continents in our world, whether in terms of
level of development, or religion (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Shintoism and more).
In fact, diversity is the very definition of Asia.
Inspite of the diversity the unity evolved because of the existence of Asian regionalism. Diversity
has not stopped Asian countries from working together for prosperity and peace. And over time,
market-led regionalism has proven its value and is now progressively becoming more
institutionalized. The evidence to date suggests that Asia’s experience in regionalism has been
very successful. Almost seven decades ago, in the midst of the Cold War, no one could have
imagined Asian countries working together as they are doing today. Indeed, Asian Regionalism
contribute a lot to the growth of a nation.
DISCRIMATON

Based on the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian regionalism is a catchall term for schemes
that reduce the degree of discrimination among countries.

NORMS
According toKatzenstein and Shiraishi, cultural, ideological, and normative divisions across Asia
‘inhibited the emergence of a collective regional identity’ and effective Asian regional institutions

RIVALRIES
The building of regional institutions in Asia NOT shaped by specific national interests and
national rivalries, and by different ways of thinking about ‘region’ BUT rather a response to the
need for practical co-operation in commercial, security and other positive matters. 
Countries do competition in a good way wherein both countries benefit from one another and
contribute to the growth of the nation. Without competition there no improvement, because there
is no sense of innovating something for nothing. Countries compete not for their own interest but
competition lead to creating new develop things.
There is the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) which has  given “Filipino consumers more goods
to choose from at relatively cheaper prices. AFTA has raised the level of competition among
suppliers and producers in the region, which benefits consumers in the sense that it has led to
the production of higher quality products, more options for similar products, greater accessibility
in finding products, and more importantly, products that come in more competitive and wallet-
friendly prices.”
Politics become the predominant influence on rivalry dynamics in Asian Countries.
ALSO, through AR it strengthens the Asia’s proctection and security

The relationship between U.S. military presence and alliance structure in the region and the
development of multilateral institutions in Asia is not a zero-sum situation. Indeed, in recent years, U.S.
military assets in Asia and the Pacific have been increasingly used for addressing common regional
challenges, such as natural disasters like the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. U.S. military exercises, like
Cobra Gold, have expanded beyond their original missions (in this case, of supporting Thailand) to
include a range of other regional countries, serving as a platform for multilateral coordination.
Multilateral cooperation featuring American forces and those of non-allied nations, such as Malaysia
and Indonesia, has also been on the rise in efforts to ensure maritime security in vulnerable parts of
Asia, such as the Straits of Malacca. The rationale for regional security institutions need not conflict with
U.S. military alliances. Rather, the two can be mutually supportive. 

LESS POPULATION
In contrast, Asian economic developmental momentum is still on the rise. Although
demographic trends show that most of East and Southeast Asia has exhibited net population
decline, economic developmental momentum is still robust or strong. South Asia is on a strong
demographic rise and maintains a robust developmental momentum.
ASIA IS TOO SMALL FOR ASIA
President Lee Myung-bak has stated in the National Assembly that although Korea is a
geographically small country, it is seeking to become the country whose bilateral free trade
agreements cover the largest territory in the world (Asahi shimbun, 2011). The three Northeast
Asian countries, China, Japan, and Korea, have some of the most dense and wideranging
networks of economic transactions in the world, and each of the three adopt a highly global
orientation, as does India. In a nutshell, Asia is too small for Asia. Asia’s introduction to ideas of
asian regionalism 175 developmental momentum is strong; Asia’s appetite for global markets is
strong. This is in part due to the fact that they are insufficiently exploiting their own domestic
consumption markets.

AR COMPARED TO EU

Asian regionalism is often compared, mostly unfavorably, with the European variety. Yet, even the
much-vaunted European Union is not without significant shortcomings. Compare, for example, the EU's
approach to Russia with Asia's approach to China. Both China and Russia are large "problem" countries
confronting a group of small or medium-sized countries in their neighborhood, all of whom are worried
about their potential for regional dominance. But China was invited and integrated unconditionally as a
full-fledged member of the Asian institutions, including as a full dialogue partner of ASEAN, and a full
member of both the Asia Pacific Economic Community and the ASEAN Regional Forum. By contrast,
Russia was denied membership to the EU and NATO, even when at its geopolitical weakest, and had to
content itself with only a strategic partnership agreement. One consequence of this failure to co-opt
Russia is that Europe is still faced with a potential Cold War-like divide, in sharp contrast to China's
dynamic and cooperative citizenship within Asia.

COUNTRIES GROWTH

An important key to successful regional organisation is making good use of what some of the individual
countries have to contribute. The strong points of some of the leading countries that can promote the
region are thus detailed below.

Japan has been the pioneer in bringing modernisation to Asia. Despite its relatively small size, Japan
remains one of the three largest economies in the world, with one of the best-educated and healthiest
populations. Its technology and quality of production set global standards, and its law-abiding citizenry
facilitate one of the lowest crime rates in the world. As the only major country in the world that has
chosen not to have nuclear weapons, Japan has the moral authority to take a leading position in the
fight against nuclear proliferation. Finally, as the global leader in energy technology and environmental
protection, it can make a major contribution in these areas.

China, driven by explosive economic growth and a massive population, has begun to play a central role
in energising the region’s economy. Its think tanks and universities have developed extraordinarily
quickly, and China is now producing large numbers of young people with a deep understanding of major
issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region. Whilst China was initially concerned about the speed of
modernisation within Asia, it has come to realise the benefits inherent in regionalism, and has begun to
take a role in strengthening regional and global organisations. As China’s economy has grown, its leaders
have also turned their focus onto international efforts to solve environmental problems such as global
warming.

The United States remains the leader in higher education and research, and acts as a centre for
educating talented people from around the globe. Additionally, international institutions sometimes
lack the capacity to respond to urgent crises. In this context, the United States remains the country with
the greatest capacity to resolve security and environmental emergencies. The United States recognises
the importance of the Asia-Pacific and can be expected to take an active role in the region.

The Southeast Asian countries that formed ASEAN have set the model for the ‘soft regionalism’ that is
the glue binding together nations on both sides of the Pacific in a cooperative framework, most notably
via APEC. It has unique convening power for bringing together the big powers of the region in a neutral
setting. As the largest country in South-East Asia, Indonesia inevitably plays a central role in ASEAN.

PHILIPPINES AND CHINA ASEAN

Given the economic importance of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to China, and its
geographical proximity, a key focus of Belt and Road initiative is its burgeoning economies.

And with the Philippines chairing the ASEAN in 2017, the Duterte Administration will be in a good
position to build up and normalise its relationship with China faster. This is the perfect time for the
implementation of such an initiative. The Duterte Administration’s foreign policy pivot toward China
gives a big push to its own Philippine Development Plan (PDP) as it puts together plans, reforms,
policies, and targets to build a more sustainable economy.

This sends strong signals to businesses in both nations that the Philippines is now a promising
participant in China’s grant trade and infrastructure plan.

Economic relations between China and ASEAN economies have been growing strongly. By the end of
May 2016, the two-way investment had exceeded US$ 160 billion, with ASEAN remaining a major
destination for Chinese companies. Bilateral trade has also increased 60 times from US$ 7.96 billion in
1991 to US$ 472.16 billion in 2015. ASEAN and China are seeking to double their trade value, setting a
target of US$ 1 trillion by the end of 2020.

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

China, in particular, became a more active trading and investment partner of all Asian countries.
With the rising purchasing power of Asia’s middle class, Asia’s value chains are now increasingly
servicing Asian consumers. Today, some 40% of East Asian trade takes place within the region,
compared with 30% two decades ago.

Given the current level, that would require at least a 50% increase in the share of regional trade. That
seems entirely feasible, given the growth and population dynamics of the wider region.

It just foreshadows a trading world where Asia completes the process from initially being an outsourcing
destination for multinational corporations to becoming the key growth driver of the global economy.

China and Philippiben scraborough shoal

In other words, culture seems to be a basic discriminator in leading to different approaches to
regionalism, lost of identity

Their Asian regional identity is not very strong at all. Those countries with big Muslim
populations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan exhibit much stronger
Muslim identity than Asian regional identity. Japan is torn between Asianists and non-Asianists.
For the latter, Japan is posited as against Asia: ‘Japan and Asia’ rather than ‘Japan in and
among Asia.’ Asian regional identity is not easy to inculcate for this latter group

How come there is no discrimination if there is the existence of global south and global north