Asia from a relational theory lens: an analysis of the cases of ASEAN, RCEP and BRI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.21Keywords:
Asia, East Asia, relational theory, international relations, Asian international society, ASEAN, RCEP, BRI, China, regionalismAbstract
Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals, nº. 141
Quadrimestral (October-December 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.21
Asia is a region of growing political, economic, and academic interest. In a space where the interests of the United States and those of China sometimes overlap, analysis typically overlooks the agency of the region’s states and organisations. This paper acknowledges the difficulty of addressing the agency of these states through a Eurocentric theoretical lens and is structured around the following research question: what new can we learn from taking a regionally grounded theoretical approach to the analysis of Asian regional dynamics? To this end, it proposes approaching regional dynamics from a relational perspective, placing interaction processes at the centre, and addressing the agency of regional actors. The paper applies this framework to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and two regional initiatives: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
>> The full-text articles in this issue are currently available only in Spanish
References
Acharya, Amitav. «Regionalism Beyond EU-Centrism», en: Börzel, Tanja A. y Risse, Thomas (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, p. 109-119.
Adler, Emanuel. Communitarian International Relations: The Epistemic Foundation of International Relations. Londres/Nueva York: Routledge, 2005.
Adler, Emanuel; Bremberg, Niklas y Sondarjee, Maïka. «Communities of Practice in World Politics: Advancing a Research Agenda». Global Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, n.º 1 (2024), p. 1-13. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksad070 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/isagsq/article/4/1/ksad070/7602889
Adler, Emanuel y Pouliot, Vincent. «International practices: introduction and framework», en: Adler, Emanuel y Pouliot, Vincent (eds.) International Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, p. 3-35.
ASEAN. «The ASEAN Chapter», (2008a) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/images/archive/publications/ASEAN-Charter.pdf
ASEAN. «Asean Economic Community Blueprint», (2008b) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://www.asean.org/wp-content/uploads/images/archive/5187-10.pdf
ASEAN. «Joint Declaration on the Launch of Negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership», (20 de noviembre de 2012) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SEOM-AFPs-Bali-Annex-4-Joint-Declaration-on-the-Launch-of-Negotiations-for-the-RCEP.pdf
ASEAN. «Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025», (2016) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/8_compressed.pdf
ASEAN. «ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Synergizing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and the Belt And Road Initiative (BRI)», (3 de noviembre de 2019) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Final-ASEAN-China-Joint-Statement-Synergising-the-MPAC-2025-and-the-BRI.pdf
BAD-Banco Asiático de Desarrollo. «Meeting Asia’s infrastructure needs», (2017) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/227496/special-report-infrastructure.pdf
Beeson, Mark y Breslin, Shaun. «Regional and global forces in East Asia’s economic engagement with international society», en: Buzan, Barry y Zhang, Yongjin (eds.) Contesting International Society in East Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, p. 93-118.
Bello, Walden. «States and Markets, States Versus Markets: The Developmental State Debate as the Distinctive East Asian Contribution to International Political Economy», en: Blyth, Mark (ed) Routledge Handbook of International Political Economy. Nueva York, Routledge, 2009, p. 180-200.
Bueger, Christian y Gadinger, Frank. International Practice Theory. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
Bull, Hedley. La Sociedad Anárquica. Madrid: Catarata, 2005.
Buzan, Barry y Little, Richard. «The Historical Expansion of International Society», en: Navari, Cornelia y Green, Daniel (eds.) Guide to the English School in International Studies. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014, p. 59-75.
Buzan, Barry y Schouenborg, Laust. Global International Society. A New Framework for Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Buzan, Barry y Zhang, Yongjin (eds.) Contesting International Society in East Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Cienfuegos Mateo, Manuel. «La Asociación Económica Integral Regional (RCEP) en Asia-Pacífico desde la perspectiva jurídica». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 136 (2024), p. 159-182. DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2024.136.1.159 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://www.cidob.org/publicaciones/la-asociacion-economica-integral-regional-rcep-en-asia-pacifico-desde-la-perspectiva
De Lombaerde, Philippe; Moldashev, Kairat; Qoraboyev, Ikboljon y Taghon, Servaas. «Strategic responses of regional economic organizations to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative: the cases of ASEAN, EAEU, and EU». Asia Pacific Business Review, vol. 30, n.º 2 (2024), p. 399-419. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2022.2093526 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 26.03.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13602381.2022.2093526
Foot, Rosemary y Goh, Evelyn. «The International Relations of East Asia: A New Research Prospectus». International Studies Review, vol. 21, n.º 3 (2019), p. 398-423. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/isr/viy015 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 26.02.2025] https://academic.oup.com/isr/article-abstract/21/3/398/4959874?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Glas, Aarie y Martel, Stéphanie. «Boundary Work, Overlapping Identities, and Liminality in Communities of Practice: Diplomacy within and beyond ASEAN». Global Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, n.º 1 (2024), p. 1-11. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksad072 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/isagsq/article/4/1/ksad072/7590536
Goh, Evelyn. The Struggle for Order. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Goh, Evelyn. «East Asia as regional international society: the problem of great power management», en: Buzan, Barry y Zhang, Yongjin (eds.) Contesting International Society in East Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, p. 167-187.
Hajer, Maarten A. y Wagenaar, Hendrik. «Introduction», en: Hajer, Maarten A. y Wagenaar, Hendrik (eds.). Deliberative Policy Analysis. Understanding Governance in the Network Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 1-30.
Hu, Weixing. «Does regional international society exist in East Asia? A response to Yongjin Zhang». Global Discourse, vol. 5, n.º 3 (2015), p. 374-378. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2015.1053240 [Fecha de consulta: 22.07.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23269995.2015.1053240?src=recsys
Jetin, Bruno. «‘One Belt-One Road Initiative’ and ASEAN Connectivity: Synergy Issues and Potentialities», en: Deepak, Bali R. (ed.) China’s Global Rebalancing and the New Silk Road. Singapur: Springer, 2018, p. 139-150.
Jose, Hino Samuel y Samudra, Hree Dharma Santhi Putri. «Towards a New ASEAN Regionalism: Navigating the Outlook on Indo-Pacific in Post-RCEP Beyond 2020». Insignia Journal of International Relations, vol. 9, n.º 1 (2022), p. 96-109. DOI: 10.20884/1.INS.2022.9.1.4636 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 22.03.2025] https://core.ac.uk/works/123347806/
Kavalski, Emilian. «Guanxi or What is the Chinese for Relational Theory of World Politics». International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, vol. 18, n.º 3 (2018), p. 397-420. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/irap/lcy008 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 04.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/irap/article/18/3/397/5032552
Kim, Soo Yeon. «Centrality and Community», en: Iwasaki, Fusanori; Oikawa, Keita y Urata, Shujiro (eds.) Political Economy of East Asian Economic Integration. Londres y Nueva York: Routledge, 2025, p. 61-87.
Kuik, Cheng-Chwee. «Irresistible Inducement? Assessing China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia». Council of Foreign Relations, (junio de 2021) (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 15.03.2025], https://www.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/kuik_irresistible-inducement-assessing-bri-in-southeast-asia_june-2021.pdf
Kuik, Cheng-Chwee. «Hedging via Institutions: ASEAN-led Multilateralism in the Age of the Indo-Pacific». Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, vol. 10, n.º 2 (2022), p. 355-386. DOI: doi.org/10.18588/202211.00a319 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 05.03.2025] https://ipus.snu.ac.kr/eng/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/11/04_Cheng-Chwee-Kuik.pdf
Le Thu, Houng. «Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, ASEAN’s Agency, and the Role of ASEAN Members in Shaping the Regional Economic Order», en: Iwasaki, Fusanori; Oikawa, Keita y Urata, Shujiro (eds.) Political Economy of East Asian Economic Integration. Londres y Nueva York: Routledge, 2025, p. 88-106.
Lee, Yong Wook. «Relational ontology and the politics of boundary-making: East Asian financial regionalism». Politics, vol. 39, n.º 1, (2019), p. 18-34. DOI: doi.org/10.1177/0263395718779938 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 26.02.2025] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0263395718779938
Mueller, Lukas Maximilian. «ASEAN centrality under threat – the cases of RCEP and connectivity». Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies, vol. 8, n.º 2 (2019), p. 177-198. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/24761028.2019.1691703 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 24.03.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24761028.2019.1691703
Nordin, Astrid H. M. y Smith, Graham M. «Relating self and other in Chinese and Western thought». Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 32, n.º 5 (2019), p. 636-653. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/09557571.2019.15761607 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 04.03.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09557571.2019.1576160
Oba, Mie. «Further development of Asian regionalism: institutional hedging in an uncertain era». Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies, vol. 8, n.º 2 (2019), p. 125-140. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/24761028.2019.1688905 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24761028.2019.1688905
Park, Sang Chul. «The roles and strategies of ASEAN in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)». Cuadernos Europeos de Deusto, vol. 66, n.º 3 (2022), p. 115-148. DOI: doi.org/10.18543/ced-03-2022pp115-148 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 04.03.2025] https://ced.revistas.deusto.es/article/view/2341
Qin, Yaqing. «International Society as a Process: Institutions, Identities, and China’s Peaceful Rise». The Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 3, n.º 2 (2010), p. 129-153. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poq007 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/cjip/article-abstract/3/2/129/344492
Qin, Yaqing. «Rule, Rules, and Relations: Towards a Synthetic Approach to Governance». The Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 4, n.º 2 (2011), p. 117-145. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/cjip/por008 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/cjip/article-abstract/4/2/117/333009
Qin, Yaqing. «A Relational Theory of World Politics». International Studies Review, vol. 18, n.º 1 (2016), p. 33-47. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/isr/viv031 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://www.jstor.org/stable/24758336
Qin, Yaqing. «Transnational governance and multiple multilateralisms», en: Meyer, Thomas; de Salés Marques, José Luis y Telò, Mario (eds.) Regionalism and Multilateralism. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019, p. 48-65.
Qin, Yaqing. «The Zhongyong Dialectic: A Bridge into the Relational World». The Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 17, n.º 2 (2024), p. 206-221. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poae011 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 14.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/cjip/article-abstract/17/2/206/7683722
Qin, Yaqing y Nordin, Astrid H. M. «Relationality and rationality in Confucian and Western traditions of thought». Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 32, n.º 5 (2019), p. 601-614. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/09557571.2019.1641470 (en línea) Fecha de consulta: 12.03.2025] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09557571.2019.1641470
Qin, Yaqing y Wei, Ling. «Structures, Processes, and the Socialization of Power», en: Ross, Robert S. y Zhu, Feng (eds.) China’s Ascent. Ithaca y Londres: Cornell University Press, 2008, p. 115-138.
Rolls, Mark. «Centrality and Continuity: ASEAN and Regional Security since 1967». East Asia, vol. 29, (2012), p. 127-139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-011-9160-1 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12140-011-9160-1
Searle, John R. The Construction of Social Reality. Nueva York: The Free Press, 1995.
Suzuki, Shogo. Civilization and Empire. China and Japan’s Encounter with European International Society. Londres: Routledge, 2009.
Tomotaka, Shoji. «“Belt and Road” vs. “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”: Competition over Regional Order and ASEAN’s Responses». Security & Strategy, vol. 1, (2021), p. 3-24.
Wang, Zhaohui. «Understanding the Belt and Road Initiative from the Relational Perspective». Chinese Journal of International Review, vol. 3, n.º 1 (2021), p. 1-26. DOI: doi.org/10.1142/S2630531321500049 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S2630531321500049
Wu, Chien-Huei. «ASEAN at the Crossroads: Trap and Track between CPTPP and RCEP». Journal of International Economic Law, vol. 23, n.º 1 (2020), p. 97-117. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgz032 (en línea) [Fecha de consulta: 19.03.2025] https://academic.oup.com/jiel/article-abstract/23/1/97/5640434
Zhang, Yongjin. «Regional international society in East Asia? A critical investigation». Global Discourse, vol. 5, n.º 3 (2015), p. 360-373. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2015.1053190 [Fecha de consulta: 22.07.2025]
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23269995.2015.1053190
Zhang, Yongjin y Buzan, Barry. «The Tributary System as International Society in Theory and Practice». The Chinese Journal of International Politics, vol. 5, n.º 1 (2012), p. 3-36. DOI: doi.org/10.1093/cjip/pos001 [Fecha de consulta: 22.07.2025] https://academic.oup.com/cjip/article/5/1/3/343591?login=true
