A integração regional asiática: A Ásia como palco de disputas de poder entre China e Estados Unidos

Abstract

Currently, the world is marked by the dispute between the United States and China for world hegemony. The two powers have great economic and geopolitical capabilities, as well as high relevance and global presence, which allows them to be the equivalent counterbalance of each other. Over decades of dispute, both built the awareness that, in order to establish itself as the only one capable of dictating the course of global geopolitics, it is necessary to be relevant, have an active presence and the ability to influence the most important region in the world today: Asia. To achieve this objective, they will use an old tool of international relations, which has proven to be quite effective in the past: the creation and strengthening of arrangements that promote Asian regional integration. Based on this premise, the present work aims to understand how the US and China use Asian regional integration in their power disputes. First, we will explore the evolution of regional integration movements after the end of World War II and the advance of the so-called waves of regionalism. Next, we will turn our eyes to Asia, understanding how regionalism took place in the region and China's role in increasing the degree of regional integration in the area in the late 20th century. Soon after, we will enter the disputes between the US and China, understanding the complex relationship between the two countries since the Cold War and what contributed to the Chinese becoming the only ones capable of disputing global leadership against the Americans. Finally, we will explore the current status of the dispute between the two powers, focusing on two practical cases of arrangements that promote regional trade integration in Asia-Pacific, the TPP (which was led by the USA) and the RCEP (which is led by China).