Forming New Ties in the Pacific Rim: East Asia and Latin America

This panel aims to shed light on the process by which the two regions across the Pacific are becoming increasingly connected and integrated. Since the end of the 20th century, free trade has developed in the Pacific Rim region against the backdrop of the growing economic power of East Asian countries. With the emergence of China as a new economic superpower in the 21st century, the relationship between the two regions has become even closer. There is also a lot of activity in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Japan and South Korea are also building relations by demonstrating their strengths, such as their presence in the field of soft power. In addition, East Asian countries are increasing their engagement with Latin American countries through regional international organizations, and China, in particular, has been active in recent years in infiltrating multilateral organizations such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), as well as focusing on cooperation with emerging economies in international organizations such as the G20 and BRICS. The spread of East Asian culture is believed to have been furthered by the increased use of the Internet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, these changes are strongly recognized among researchers and practitioners who study Latin America, but the academic clarification of the actual situation remains insufficient. What dynamics (economic, political, social relations, cultural exchange) are at work in Latin American countries as their relations with East Asian countries become closer? In the new context of China's rise as a great power, what challenges are Japan and South Korea facing, and how are they rethinking their regional strategies? How are the various factors that give rise to these dynamics interacting with each other? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected these dynamics? This panel will attempt to clarify the new relationships that are being formed in the Pacific world and the various aspects of the interconnections between the factors that give rise to them through empirical clarification of diverse cases. The project is open to any analytical approach, both qualitative and quantitative.