Social Sciences in China, 2021

Vol. 42, No. 3, 2021

East Asian Regional Cooperation Network and China's Path Choice

(Abstract)

Dong He

The current East Asian regional cooperation framework is a complex system with multiple fields, levels, and players. In terms of social network theory and analysis, the East Asian regional cooperation framework can be defined as an affiliation network of cooperative mechanisms and players. Combing through the process of East Asian regional cooperation and constructing an East Asian regional cooperation network on the basis of the affiliation network model shows that the network has distinct characteristics in terms of cooperation mechanisms, cooperation entities, inter-entity relations, and the interaction of various fields of cooperation. These characteristics are apparent in concentrated form in the dynamics and limitations of East Asian regional cooperation networks. Describing and analyzing the structure and characteristics of the regional cooperation network of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can help us conduct a comprehensive examination of the current regional cooperation framework, grasp the developmental prospects of East Asian regional cooperation, and provide reference material for China's path choice in the process of future regional cooperation.

Keywords: East Asian regional cooperation, affiliation network, relationship path