South America and Southeast Asia interregional relations: Beyond South-South Bilateralism

• In Event: Transatlantic and Transpacific relations

Abstract

East Asia countries have become, in the last 15 years, important partners for South American states in search for trade and political diversification. This dynamism was fueled by the economic complementarities of the product and export structures of the two regions, and the increasing demand of SEA economies of primary products and its manufactures. In tandem and very closely linked to the raising trade numbers, bilateral ties have strengthened between individual countries of these two regions, showing the increasing relevance of Southeast Asia’s presence in South America.
Notwithstanding the mainly bilateral nature of these links, there are emerging multilateral and interregional initiatives. They are not institutionalized or permanent instances; their main characteristic is their sporadic nature, and their dissimilar outcomes depend on the actors involved and the typology of interregionalism. The most developed of these interregional initiatives are FEALAC and Mercorsur-ASEAN dialogue.
Our aim in this paper is to identify and analyze the latest developments of interregional initiatives between South America and Southeast Asia, considering also the contributions of bilateral and multilateral policies in enhancing the interregional links. We adopt a Non-Triadic interregionalism theoretical approach and argue that in order to understand these emerging phenomena it is fundamental to develop a South-South interregionalism perspective that considers the particular characteristics of this type of interactions. We highlight diversification and autonomy as two central concepts –both as tools and goals- of this emerging interregional layer of South American-Southeast Asia relations.

Author

• Maria Florencia Rubiolo