The Eurasian space

Founded in 1996, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an inter-regional forum. Its members include the fifteen states of the European Union along with the European Commission, the ten countries of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea. This collection brings together scholars from Asia and Europe to assess how far the two continents have engaged with one another. The contributors argue that the ASEM process has helped strengthen political, economic and cultural links between the countries involved.

The chapters take up several specific questions. One asks where the euro fits into the growing push for monetary cooperation in East Asia. Another considers how ASEM shapes the building of an East Asian regional identity. A third examines what role ASEM played in the shaping of China's new foreign policy.

The editors contend that ASEM receives less attention than it deserves, since it is helping to define a multilateral world order taking form in the twenty-first century.