The EU and Asia

The emergence of Asia in economic and in political terms is of increasing global significance – not least because of the rise of China and India, but also because of the increasing range of foreign and security challenges that face the region and the international community as a whole. Asia, including Central Asia,¹ is a diverse and dynamic region. It accounts for more than half of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economic wealth. Aside from high-income industrialized countries, countries in the post-Soviet space and emerging economies, Asia is also home to over two-thirds of the world’s poor. The EU’s traditional focus on trade, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance thus remains an important aspect of involvement.