ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the complex relationship between international trade and economic resilience in East Asia. While trade can enhance resilience through market diversification, it can also create vulnerabilities when economies overly depend on specific sectors or partners. This chapter examines the merits of export diversification versus specialization, analyzes the impact of diversifying export markets, and assesses the role of trade openness in economic resilience through empirical evidence from the global financial crisis in 2007–2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic. The success of Vietnam’s export diversification is highlighted. Using Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), the study sheds light on the patterns of trade concentration in the region. The exploration of trade intensity, especially within ASEAN, by employing the Regional Trade Introversion Index (RTII) underscores the significance of regional integration for economic cooperation. Overall, this chapter argues that East Asia’s journey toward regional resilience through international trade requires continued adaptation to emerging challenges while balancing diversification and specialization strategies.
