Kanaev Evgeny Alexandrovich – Sc.D. in History, Leading Researcher, Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, IMEMO RAS
The article aims to specify how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) perceives the EU’s prospects for digital integration in the economic sphere stemming not so much from the statements of ASEAN officials, but from the objective factors pushing ASEAN towards cooperation with the EU. The ASEAN–EU dialogue is examined dynamically through the prism of ASEAN’s priorities and prospective plans, and its current specifics and main features are identified. The tools used by ASEAN to develop its formats, projects and initiatives for multilateral economic cooperation in the digital sphere are analyzed. Key factors behind ASEAN’s interest in strengthening and deepening cooperation with the EU are identified, the directions and tools for this cooperation are revealed, and the outcomes of major initiatives are assessed. Stating that ASEAN–EU relations are strongly politicized, the author poses the main research question: why is this factor is not of primary concern for ASEAN, which has traditionally sought to avoid politicization in dialogue with external partners? The author argues that this shortcoming is exceedingly compensated by the opportunities that ASEAN gains by studying the functional directions of the EU’s digital regionalism: since the EU has achieved significant success in developing digital integration tools, ASEAN seeks to adopt this experience. Accordingly, ASEAN views the future of the EU’s digital economic regionalism in a positive light. The study was carried out on the basis of an interdisciplinary approach using general scientific, specific-scientific and disciplinary methods. Since understanding the processes relevant to directions, measures and tools of ASEAN economic regionalism in the digital sphere and the extent of ASEAN’s readiness to adopt the experience of other multilateral dialogue formats is just beginning, the article has obvious scientific and practical significance and relevance.
EU, ASEAN, economic regionalism, digital transformation, projects, initiatives, cooperation, perception.
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