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Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 103115
doi: 10.1002/app5.59
Original Article
ASEANs Leadership in the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership
Yoshifumi Fukunaga*
Abstract
1. Introduction
In November 2011, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed a new
regional free trade agreement (FTA) initiative1
called the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP). It was the moment when
ASEAN tabled its first proposal on an East
Asian regional FTA. Until then, major proposals, that is, Chinas initiative on East Asian
Free Trade Area (EAFTA) and Japans proposal of Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia (CEPEA), had come from
its FTA partners despite ASEANs hope for
centrality.2 The RCEP idea, however, came
from ASEAN itself and was subsequently supported by the 16 national leaders in November
2012.3
One of the biggest motivations in proposing
the RCEP was ASEANs desire for its centrality.4 ASEAN leaders declared in the ASEAN
1. ASEAN Framework for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (hereafter ASEAN Framework for
RCEP), adopted at the 19th ASEAN Summit, Bali, Indonesia, 17 November 2011.
2. Three major ASEAN documents emphasise the importance of ASEAN centrality: ASEAN Charter (Arts 1.15,
2.2(m), 32 and 41.3), ASEAN Political Security Blueprint
(C.1) and ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint
(para. 65).
3. Leaders Joint Declaration on the Launch of Negotiations for the RCEP, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 20 November
2012.
4. Wang (2013) pointed out that boosting the ASEAN
centrality was the main motivation behind ASEANs
RCEP proposal, rather than deepening regional economic
cooperation. Das (2012) also explained ASEANs strategy
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from its centrality consideration in addition to the noodlebowl problem caused by the coexistence of multiple
ASEAN + 1 FTAs. Such centrality consideration was
partly stimulated by a joint proposal made by China and
Japan in July 2011 as evidenced from the ASEAN Template discussion at the ASEAN Economic Ministers
Meeting in August 2011.
5. ASEAN Framework for RCEP.
6. Guiding Principles and Objectives for Negotiating the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (hereinafter RCEP Guiding Principles), adopted at the RCEP
Ministers Meeting, Siem Reap, 30 August 2012.
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References
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