Asia has one of the most dynamic and fastest developing economies in the world. This study assesses the current state of economic integration in Asia - in particular in East and South East Asia- and analyzes the prerequisites for a sustainable path of economic integration, using the background of the EU experience as a benchmark. The crucial notion of 'sustainable economic integration' is explored under the prism of the EU-Asia economic and business relationship. The book offers an integrated approach to the concept of economic integration by linking it to that of sustainability.In the first introductory part, the idea of 'sustainable economic integration' is clarified, and examined using a political economy perspective. The second part of the book includes a number of chapters relating to specific case studies epitomizing the current state of integration in Asia; because of its role and of its size, China features quite prominently in this part.Economic Integration in Asia provides a critical overview of economic integration in Asia, and makes indispensable reading for researchers and students of Asia and development economics, and in particle to those interested in the economy of China.

Offering a critical reappraisal of the causes of the 1997 Asian crisis and of its impact on the strategies of firms, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how firms have responded to the changes brought about by the crisis, and what the major structural developments have been in the Asian economies since the late 1990s. Through the use of up-to-date statistical data and theoretical tools the contributors convey the excitement that pervades recent developments in Asia.