Suchen

Following negotiations on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2017 Economic Leaders' Week held in Vietnam on 6–11 November, the trade ministers of the remaining 11 signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (one fewer, after the USA withdrew) agreed on the core elements of its revised version – the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The revised agreement is expected to be signed by spring 2018 and to come into effect by 2019 ...

South Korea is a dynamic participant in the activities of well-established regional organisations and fora in the Asia-Pacific region. The most relevant of these is the ASEAN Plus Three, with a project for a comprehensive economic partnership which could lead to the creation of a trading bloc encompassing half of the global market. The country's economic success is also fuelled by its popular culture spreading widely across Asia – a phenomenon known as the 'Korean wave'.

The economic and political "rise of Asia" has led to increasing talk of a "Pacific century". The US "pivot to Asia-Pacific" announced in 2011 entails a series of diplomatic, economic and military initiatives, as well as efforts to engage the EU in cooperating in the region. However, the EU and its Member States still appear to lack a common vision for the Asia-Pacific.

A background briefing on APEC and its economic significance for the EU