International Symposium
23-24 June, 1995
Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum, Berlin

ECONOMIC REGIONALIZATION IN EAST ASIA AND CORPORATE STRATEGIES: CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EUROPE

The economic dynamism of East Asia, including China, Japan, the Newly
Industrialized Economies (NIEs), the ASEAN countries, and Indochina,
coupled with changes following the end of the Cold War and the
uncertainties about the future of China will have enormous implications for
a wide range of policy and strategic issues concerning the European Union.
A better understanding of Asia Pacific dynamism is vital to developing
better policies in the business world. Although a great deal of work on
these issues has been undertaken in Japan, the US, and Australia, there is
an urgent need for a distinctive European approach, which examines the
dynamics of the region from a European perspective.

MAIN THEMES
This encounter will be a follow-up to an international symposium on the
regionalization in East Asia and the role played by large companies in the
process held in Waseda in July 1993 (see F. Gipouloux [ed.] Economic
regionalization in East Asia: a comparative perspective, Nitchi-Futsu
kaikan, Tokyo, 1994). The main objectives of the Waseda symposium are as
follows:
-The creation and strengthening of networks of expertise among scholars,
and the business and policy communities.
-The deepening of expertise on the key aspects of East Asian affairs,
including:

THE EMERGENCE OF SUBREGIONAL ECONOMIC ZONES IN EAST ASIA
New dynamic clusters are emerging at the borders of nation states. Each of
these clusters has its own dynamics fed by foreign direct investment made
by multinational corporations and intra-regional trade. Examples of such
subregional zones include:
-The Sea of Japan Economic Area
-The Yellow Sea Economic Zone (Kyushu, the Korean peninsula, the Liaodong
and Shandong peninsulas in China)
-The South China Sea Economic Zone (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guangdong, and the
Fujian provinces in China)
-The SIJORI Growth Triangle (Singapore, Johore, Riau)
To what extent can a common thread be found in these regions despite the
differences in the economic development and social systems of the countries
involved? Will Japan play a leading role by providing an open market to
Asian goods?

A COMPARISON OF JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN CORPORATE STRATEGIES IN EAST ASIA.
Of particular importance are the new patterns of Japanese investments in
East Asia, aiming not only at securing raw materials and energy
procurements, but also at market access, especially in China. The influence
of recent developments in the liberalization of capital markets, coupled
with the international subcontracting and 'hollowing out' effects are of
great significance to the industrializing countries of East Asia.
This analysis will rely, in its initial stages, on the presentation of
field studies conducted in 1994, by a research team based at the Maison
Franco-Japonaise. These field studies focus on the differences between
European and Japanese joint ventures operating in telecommunications and
automotive sectors in the coastal areas of China. The focus of the study
will be extended to other Asian countries later. Four topics have been
selected in conducting these investigations:
-The reasons European and Japanese firms invest in East Asia, especially in
China (labour costs, market access, monetary factors -- e.g. endaka, in the
case of Japan)
-Technology transfer procedures and the risks at stake for parent companies
(hollowing out effect)
-The transfer of management techniques: the difficulties encountered in
combining European and Japanese management techniques with local culture
-The effects of foreign direct investment on the recipient country's
industrial web: the creation of a subcontractors network, or a mere enclave
for exports?

COOPERATION AND TENSION BETWEEN CHINESE NETWORKS AND JAPANESE NETWORKS IN
EAST ASIA
Two networks are operating in East Asia: one ethnic Chinese and the other
Japanese. Both differ widely in their form, structure, and practices. Will
they cooperate or compete in the future? The emergence of a yen-zone in
East Asia, and the growing financial importance of savings generated by
ethnic Chinese must be taken into consideration.

THE EMERGENCE OF NEW INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS
The interdependence between the countries and regions has so far manifested
itself most prominently in the fields of economics and technology, as well
as in politics. New organs for multilateral political and economic
cooperation have entered the stage: APEC, the Malaysian initiative for an
East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). All
these frameworks differ both in form and content from the European Union
integration mechanism.

The symposium will last two days and will include four sessions devoted to
the above- mentioned themes.

For further information, contact the Symposium Coordination:
Fran‡ois Gipouloux
CNRS / DTT
Universit‚ d'Evry
4, Bd des Coquibus
91025 Evry
France
Tel: +33-1-69477096
Fax: +33-1-69477008