Экономические науки/2. Внешнеэкономическая деятельность

Boiko A. I.

Donetsk National University named after Mykhailo Tugan-Baranovsky, Ukraine

THE BASIC FEATURES OF NOWADAYS’ EUROPE-ASIAN ECONOMIC RELATIONS

The realities of the post cold war global arena, dictate closer relations between the continents of Asia and Europe. The circumstances within these regions however are not unequivocally conducive. Europe is in the throes of integration and redefinition - the EMU, unemployment and the return of labour-oriented governments in many European countries leave Europe’s external policy a matter of less urgent priority. Asia is no less pre-occupied [1].

As Asia and Europe have evolved, so has the global context. “Globalisation” as such is hardly a new phenomenon, and the 18th and 19th centuries also saw rapid and far-reaching changes in the organisation of the world economy. What is new in recent years is the speed at which events in one part of the world influence conditions in another, and the intensity of our economic, political, and social interdependence. The East Asian Crisis may have brought home to the countries of the region their dependence on international capital flows, and emphasised again the importance of international trade as a motor of growth and recovery. But Europe also is subject to the same market disciplines, and needs to be no less vigilant on the need for good governance in the financial and corporate sector, or on the essential importance of responsive and affordable social policies.

This increasing global interdependence also brings with it increasing global responsibilities. The EU and its Asian partners have a shared interest in promoting peace and security at the global level, in enhancing the effectiveness of the UN, and in addressing global environmental challenges. It is also in our common interest to address the “dark side of globalisation”, combatting transnational crime and terrorism, and addressing global scourges such as poverty and epidemic disease [2].

European integration is a unique endeavour. Bringing together sovereign nations with a long and rich history is a long-term process, which requires a sense of purpose and determination. Early on, Europeans placed emphasis on achieving economic integration. The single European market and the euro are two major achievements. More recently, the focus shifted towards further developing the Union’s institutional framework and political dimension [3].

Since 1994, the political dialogue of EU with key partners in the region has developed considerably, with new Summit dialogues in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and with China, India, Japan and (soon) Korea, with the ongoing EU ASEAN dialogue, including active EU participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and with continuing highlevel contacts with Australia and New Zealand. The EU has continued to make an active contribution to peace and security issues in the region, for example in its assistance for the establishment of democratic government in Cambodia and East Timor, its support for refugees in and from Afghanistan, and in its support for the inter-Korean dialogue and its contribution to KEDO. The EU has also established an important human rights dialogue with China (and hopes to develop such a dialogue with North Korea); in Indonesia it is actively supporting efforts towards the strengthening of governance and civil society participation; and in relation to Burma/Myanmar and Pakistan the EU continues to encourage any opening towards democracy [2].

On May 25, 2004 the two-day Third ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers' Meeting concluded in Beijing with fruitful results. Foreign ministers from 25 ASEM member states and the EU External Relations Commissioner attended the meeting. The theme of the meeting was “Strengthening the Asia-Europe Partnership in the New Century”. The foreign ministers attending the meeting held in-depth and fruitful discussions on extensive issues in political dialogue, economic and trade cooperation, and social and cultural exchanges. The meeting also adopted the Chairman’s Statement, which reflects the broad consensus and cooperation reached by Asia and Europe in these areas.

The meeting has helped strengthen Asia-Europe political relations, as foreign ministers at the meeting proposed to set up a UN affairs consultation mechanism. The meeting helped strengthen economic and trade cooperation as it confirmed several cooperation proposals on economic cooperation, trade, finance, the environment, science and technology. The meeting also helped enlarge Asia-Europe cooperative fields. The ministers stressed at the meeting the significance of enhancing cooperation in the areas of society, culture, education, human resources, the environment and judicial system. The Chairman's Statement, adopted at the meeting, reflected the consensus reached by both Asia and Europe in conducting cooperation in political dialogue, economy and trade, finance, science and technology, environmental issues, education and cracking down on cross-border crimes [4].

Asian countries are a crucial economic and political partners for the EU. Quite apart from its economic and political weight, the region is also the locus of some of the world’s most critical potential flash-points, and is home to the majority of the world’s poor. Asia and Europe are increasingly subject to the same challenges and opportunities arising from globalisation. Yet too often these two regions may have seemed to be distant partners, focused more on their own concerns, or on their relations with other regions of the world, than on strengthening their mutual relations [2].

References:

1. http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/docs/publications/wp4.pdf

2.http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/strategy_asia_2001_en.pdf

3. http://www.bis.org/review/r060215e.pdf

4. http://www.chinaembassy.nl/eng/zt/zgyyohy/t138645.htm