ABSTRACT
The purpose of my article is to examine the prospects for regional cooperation between the ASEAN countries, and China, Japan and South Korea known collectively as ASEAN Plus Three, 1 on ‘East Asian’ cooperation, from the perspectives of strengthening regional and global governance. 2 There are rising expectations concerning the future of this forum in various parts of the region. However, the future development of this forum is still uncertain. There are many factors that could both stimulate and obstruct the strengthening of an East Asian regional architecture. This article argues that for the time being there is little possibility for the ASEAN Plus Three to evolve into more institutionalized mechanism for cooperation. However, it would contribute to enhancing regional and global governance, if it is more tightly linked to existing regional and global institutions. That is, the ASEAN Plus Three might play an important role in forging multi-layered governance structure. The progress of economic globalization and interdependence among nations has promoted moves towards multi-layered governance, where regulatory competence tends to be dispersed across global and regional institutions. ‘East Asian’ cooperation must be a part of this complex governance structure that is gradually emerging in contemporary international relations.
