Exploring the Dynamic Nexus Between the European Union’s Trade and Foreign Policy Toward East Asia

The relationship between the European Union (EU) and East Asia appears to be at a turning point: on 19 September 2018, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy unveiled a Joint Communication entitled “Connecting Europe and Asia” that will have a far-reaching influence on the future relationship between the EU and Asia. This recent ambitious strategy can in fact be considered as a continuation of the EU’s mini “pivot to Asia”—namely a significant increase in engagement with Asian countries beyond the traditional focus on trade cooperation since 2012. The increasing cooperation between the EU and Asian partners in the socio-political and security spheres has attracted tremendous scholarly attention; however, the increasing nexus between the EU’s trade and foreign policy toward East Asia remains underexplored. This chapter aims to address this question by focusing on the evolving interconnectedness and dynamic links between the EU’s trade policy and its broader external policy toward East Asia. In particular, given the implications of the Lisbon Treaty on the interrelations between the EU’s trade and foreign policy, we seek to unpack how the EU’s trade policy fits into its wider strategy vis-à-vis the Asian region.