Economic Interdependence and Security in the Asia Pacific

The relationship between economic interdependence and security has engendered considerable debate in history. Some view the relationship in positive terms; some perceive it in negative terms. Instead of siding with either of them, this paper finds that the relationship between economic interdependence and security in the Asia Pacific is much more complicated than what positive and negative views perceive. Particularly after the Cold War, Asia-Pacific economy has become extraordinarily interdependent both externally and internally in trade, capital flows, people flows, and RTAs/FTAs. Nevertheless, power relations in the region are increasingly unstable and traditional security troubles in the Taiwan Strait, Korean peninsula, and South China Sea have not been altered much by economic interdependence. Rather, economic interdependence has spread, extended, or generated such security threats as economic volatility, terrorist activities, and highly contagious diseases to widen the scope of security concerns for the Asia Pacific. The relationship between economic interdependence and security thus should be neither unilinear nor monocausal, but dynamic and networking. Under the circumstances, this paper argues that international cooperation and coordination are essential to manage the contemporary tie between economic interdependence and security as well as to cope with relevant insecurity. Also, to initiate, sustain, and reinforce such international cooperation and coordination, the principle of nonexclusiveness and the improvement of capacity building must be further emphasized.