Introduction. Asia in transition: beyond the hegemonic rivalry between the United States and China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.7Keywords:
Asia, hegemonic rivalry, Asian regional order, strategic autonomy, multilateralismAbstract
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 141 Quadrimestral (Octobe-December 2025) ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.7This introductory paper raises the need to understand the regional dynamics in Asia from a perspective that looks past the traditional hegemonic rivalry between the United States and China. To do this, it questions the literature that confines the analysis of this geographical area to realist and liberal institutionalist perspectives, and it identifies its materialist, Eurocentric and binary biases. After reviewing the evolution and main pillars of the Asian regional order, the paper argues that Asia finds itself in a process of transformation that reveals a complex, open and plural regional system characterised by new dynamics of competition, multilateral cooperation and strategic autonomy. It also introduces the papers that make up this special issue, which shine a spotlight on the strategies and agency of key actors such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and ASEAN.
>> The full-text articles in this issue are currently available only in Spanish
References
Acharya, Amitav. «Ideas, Identity, and Institution Building: From the ‘ASEAN Way’ to the ‘Asia-Pacific Way’?». Pacific Review, vol. 10, n.º 3 (1997), p. 3-46.
Acharya, Amitav. «Norm Subsidiarity and Regional Orders: Sovereignty, Regionalism and Rule-Making in the Third World». International Studies Quarterly, vol. 55, (2011), p. 95-123.
Allison, Graham. «The U.S.-China Strategic Competition: Clues from History», en: Bitounis, Leah y Price, Jonathon (eds.) The Struggle for Power: U.S.-China Relations in the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: Aspen Institute, 2020, p. 79-95.
Bajpai, Kanti y Laksmana, Evan A. «Asian conceptions of international order: what Asia Wants». International Affairs, vol. 99, n.º 4 (2023), p. 1.371-1.381.
Beeson, Mark. «Rethinking Regionalism: Europe and East Asia in Comparative Historical Perspective». Journal of European Public Policy, vol. 12, n.º 6 (2005), p. 969-985.
Beeson, Mark. «Hegemonic transition in East Asia? The dynamics of Chinese and American power». Review of International Studies, vol. 35, n.º 1 (2009), p. 95-112.
Callahan, William A. «China’s ‘Asia Dream’: The Belt and Road Initiative and the new regional order». Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, vol. 1, n.º 3 (2016), p. 226-243.
Cha, Victor D. «Powerplay: Origins of the U.S. Alliance System in Asia». International Security, vol. 34, n.º 3 (2010), p. 158-196.
Curtis, Simon y Klaus, Ian. The Belt and Road City. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2024.
Fawcett, Louise. «Exploring Regional Domains: A Comparative History of Regionalism». International Affairs, vol. 80, n.º 3 (2004), p. 429-446.
Feigenbaum, Evan A. «Asia’s Future Beyond U.S.-China Competition». Carnegie Commentary, (9 de septiembre de 2020) (en línea) https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2020/09/asias-future-beyond-us-china-competition?lang=en
Friedberg, Aaron L. «Will Europe’s Past Be Asia’s Future?». Survival, vol. 42, n.º 3 (2000), p. 147-160.
Goh, Evelyn. The Struggle for Order: Hegemony, Hierarchy, and Transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Nueva York: Oxford Academic Books, 2013.
Goh, Evelyn. «New Mindsets Needed for an Era of Uncertainty». Global Asia, vol. 18, n.º 3 (2023) p. 20-24.
Gray, Kevin y Gills, Barry K. «South–South cooperation and the rise of the Global South». Thirld World Quarterly, vol. 37, (2015), p. 557-574.
Grover, Rohan; Jang, Kyooeun y Su, Li Wen. «Beyond Digital Protection(ism): Comparing Data Governance Frameworks in Asia». Journal of Information Policy, vol. 14, (2024), p. 161-195.
Hurrell, Andrew. «Hegemony, liberalism, and global order: what space for would-be great Powers?». International Affairs, vol. 82, n.º 1 (2006), p. 1-19.
Hurrell, Andrew y Fawcett, Louise. «Conclusion: Regionalism and International Order?», en: Fawcett, Louise y Hurrell, Andrew (eds.) Regionalism in World Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 309-327.
Ikenberry, John G. «East Asia and Liberal International Order», en: Inoguchi, Takashi y Ikenberry, John G. (eds.) The Troubled Triangle: Economic and Security Concerns for the United States, Japan and China. Nueva York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, p. 13-33.
Insisa, Aurelio y Pugliese, Giulio. «The free and open Indo-Pacific versus the Belt and Road: Spheres of Influence and Sino-Japanese relations». The Pacific Review, vol. 35, n.º 3 (2022), p. 557-585.
Job, Brian L. «Track 2 Diplomacy: Ideational Contribution to the Evolving Asian Security Order», en: Alagappa, Muthiah (ed.) Asian Security Order: Instrumental and Normative Features. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003, p. 241-279.
Kang, David C. «Getting Asia Wrong». International Security, vol. 27, n.º 4 (2003), p. 57-85.
Katzenstein, Peter J. A World of Regions: Asia and Europe in the American Imperium. Ithaca, Nueva York: Cornell University Press, 2005.
Li, Mingjiang. «Introduction to the special issue: changing dynamics in Southeast Asia-China relations». International Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 22, n.º 1 (2025), p.1-4.
Loke, Beverley. «The United States, China, and the Politics of Hegemonic Ordering in Asia». International Studies Review, vol. 23, n.º 4 (2021), p. 1.208-1.229.
Mearsheimer, John J. «The Gathering Storm: China’s Challenge to US Power in Asia». Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 3, n.º 4 (2010), p. 381-396.
Moon, Chung-in. «Asia-Pacific vs Indo-Pacific: Paradigm Shift or False Choice?». Global Asia, vol. 18, n.º 3 (2023), p. 14-19.
Owen, John M. «Two emerging international orders? China and the United States». International Affairs, vol. 97, n.º 5 (2021), p. 1.415-1.431.
Pareja-Alcaraz, Pablo. «Unidad y pluralismo en el orden internacional: el carácter complementario de los órdenes regionales», en: Rodrigo, Ángel J. y García, Caterina (eds.) Unidad y Pluralismo en el Derecho Internacional Público y en la Comunidad Internacional. Madrid: Tecnos, 2011, p. 129-150.
Pugliese, Giulio. «The European Union and an ‘Indo-Pacific’ Alignment». Asia-Pacific Review, vol. 31, n.º 1 (2024), p. 17-44.
Ravenhill, John. «The new bilateralism in the Asia-Pacific». Third World Quarterly, vol. 24, (2003), p. 299-317.
Roberts, Kari y Bano, Saira (eds.) The Ascendancy of Regional Powers in Contemporary US-China Relations. Cham: Springter Nature, 2023.
Stubbs, Richard. «The Developmental State and Asian Regionalism», en: Beeson, Mark y Stubbs, Richard. Routledge Handbook of Asian Regionalism. Londres: Routledge, 2012, p. 90-100.
Subacchi, Paola. «New power centres and new power brokers: are they zapping a new economic order?». International Affairs, vol. 84, n.º 3 (2008), p. 485-498.
Weede, Erich. «Future Hegemonic Rivalry Between China and the West?». Journal of World-Systems Research, vol. 1, n.º 1 (1999), p. 523-542.
Winkler, Stephanie Christine. «Strategic Competition and US-China Relations: A Conceptual Analysis». Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 16, n.º 3 (2023), p. 333-356.
Wirth, Christian y Jenne, Nicole. «Filling the void: The Asia-Pacific problem of order and emerging Indo-Pacific regional multilateralism». Contemporary Security Policy, vol. 42, n.º 2 (2022), p. 213-242.
Yahuda, Michael. The International Politics of the Asia-Pacific, 1945-1995, Londres: Routledge, 1996.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
