RCEP vs. TPP: The Pursuit of Eastern Dominance

ASEAN, when defined as a single regional bloc, can be perceived as being one of the most prominent battlefields between two new economic powerhouses: the USA and China. When compared to efforts in the prior half-century, the USA’s regional integration efforts were derided politically and economically since the 2007 Western financial crisis. This was predominantly due to a plethora of reasons similar to the fact that post the impasse, the ASEAN nations’ credence of the USA as a political and trading partner greatly eroded. As a late runner, China exemplifies her regional prowess via an influx of Chinese emigration in those targeted regions. This enables the ASEAN nations to centre their trade around the Chinese economy in lieu of that of the USA. This is galvanised by the wealth of the ethnic minority that efficiently entwine the ASEAN nations with China as the nucleus. Through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, two subsequent agreements were penned, and these concepts are examined from the Chinese perspective, and the effects that are encompassed are further amplified throughout the course of this paper.