The Eu Through the Eyes of Asia
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THE EU THROUGH THE EYES OF ASIA THE EU THROUGH THE EYES OF ASIA Media, Public and Elite Perceptions in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand Editorial Supervisor: Cover Design: Asia-Europe Foundation © Copyright by Asia-Europe Foundation, National Centre for Research on Europe, Ateneo de Manila University and University of Warsaw The views expressed in this publication are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Asia-Europe Founda- tion, National Centre for Research on Europe, Ateneo de Manila University or University of Warsaw Warsaw 2007 ISBN [...] Printed: Zakład Grficzny Uniwersytet Warszawski, zam. 919/2007 Contentsand, Peter Ryan and A Message from the Asia-Europe Foundation .......................................................7 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. 9 Prologue: BERTRAND FORT The Strategic Importance of the ESiA Network in Reinforcing Asia-Europe Relations ................................................................................. 11 PART I: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: MARTIN HOLLAND, PETER RYAN ALOJZY Z. NOWAK NATALIA CHABAN Introduction: The EU through the Eyes of Asia ..........................................23 Chapter 2: NATALIA CHABAN MARTIN HOLLAND Research Methodology ................................................................................ 28 PART II: COUNTRY STUDIES Chapter 3: DAI BINGRAN ZHANG SHUANGQUAN EU Perceptions in China: Emerging Themes from the News Media, Public Opinion, and Elite Interviews ....................43 Chapter 4: KENNETH KA-LOK CHAN LAI SUET-YI The EU in the Eyes of Hong Kong ............................................................ 68 Chapter 5: TOSHIRO TANAKA EIJIRO FUKUI and JESSICA BAIN Cast in America’s Shadow: Perceptions of the EU in Japan ....................104 Chapter 6: SUNGHOON PARK YEO JUNG SEO Impaired Vision? The EU in the Eyes of Korea .......................................145 Chapter 7: BARNARD TURNER MA SHAOHUA Seeing the EU in Singapore: Media, Public and Elite Representations ..........................................................................166 Chapter 8: APIRAT PETCHSIRI TRIP KIRTIPUTRA RACHANIROM RAVEEPAOPONG Thailand: The EU Eclipsed? ..................................................................... 195 PART III: CROSS COUNTRY COMPARISONS Chapter 9: MARTIN HOLLAND Assuming Superpower Status? Evolving Asian Perceptions of the EU as a Political and Economic Actor ...........................................225 Chapter 10: NATALIA CHABAN Connecting People and Saving the Planet? Images of the EU as a Social and Environmental Actor in Asian Media and Public Discourses .....................................................246 PART IV: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Chapter 11: MARTIN HOLLAND Raising EU Visibility in Asia ....................................................................287 About the Contributors ...................................................................................295 About the Partners ..........................................................................................303 About the ESiA Network ............................................................................... 305 Message from Asia-Europe Foundation On behalf of the partners of the European Studies in Asia (ESiA) network, namely, the Asia-Europe Foundation, the National Centre for Research on Europe, Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Warsaw, I have the honour of presenting this new publication entitled “The EU through the Eyes of Asia: Media, Public and Elite Perceptions in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand”. The volume is a milestone for the ESiA network in a major collaboration to measure the perceptions of the European Union (EU) in the Asian region. It represents a two-year collective endeavour among six prominent universities in five countries in Asia namely, Fudan University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Keio University, Korea University, the National University of Singapore and Chulalongkorn University. The publication of this extensive study is timely given that 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the Asia-Europe Foundation which was established to strengthen linkages and understanding between Asia and Europe. Thus far, we have implemented over 400 projects bringing together more than 14,000 partici- pants, through conferences, lecture tours, workshops, seminars and the creation of web-based platforms. Most importantly, we have worked to forge permanent, bi-regional networks focused on issues pertinent to reinforcing Asia-Europe rela- tions – the ESiA network and its valuable output being a good example of such bi-regional networks. The publication is also particularly welcome coinciding as it does with the EU-ASEAN Summit that will be taking place in Singapore in November 2007. As we look ambitiously toward expanding this successful partnership to include more Asian countries, it is my personal hope that this book will serve to further the objectives of the ESiA network to provide an innovative platform for the exchange of ideas and approaches to the study of the European Union in Asia, and ultimately, to deepen the understanding between our two regions. November 2007, Ambassador Wonil Cho Executive Director Asia-Europe Foundation Acknowledgments The editors would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the “EU through the Eyes of Asia” project and in particular this publication. First and foremost goes to the authors: Prof. Dai Bingran (Fudan University, China), Dr. Kenneth Chan (Hong Kong Baptist University, China), Mr. Bertrand Fort (Asia-Europe Foundation), Prof. Sunghoon Park (Korea University), Prof. Apirat Petchsiri (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand), Prof. Toshiro Tanaka (Keio University, Japan) and Assoc. Prof. Barnard Turner (National University of Sin- gapore). This publication would have not been possible without your valuable contributions. We are deeply indebted to all our young researchers who have spent the past two years putting together necessary data in all six locations of the study. Mr. Eijiro Fukui (Keio University), Ms. Mina Gentz (Keio University), Mr. Trip Kirtiputra (Chulalongkorn University), Ms. Cher Lai (NCRE), Mr. Chung Yoon Gu (Korea University), Mr. Ma Shaohua (NUS), Ms. Rachanirom Raveepaopong (Chulalong- korn University), Ms. Yeo Jung Seo (Korea University) and Mr. Zhang Shuangquan (Fudan University). Thank you also Mr. Christian Scheider (NCRE) and Ms. Sol Iglesias (ASEF) for providing additional analysis of the data collected together with Ms. Jessica Bain (NCRE) for her extensive work in the copy-editing process. We are grateful to members of the ESiA Advisory Group who have given their valuable input at various stages of the project throughout the past two years: Prof. Alfredo Robles (De La Salle University), Dr. David Camroux (Centre d’E- tudes et de Recherches Internationales), Prof. Maria Esteves (Institute of Euro- pean Studies of Macau, China), Prof. David Gosset (Academia Sinica Europaea, China), Dr. Heungchong Kim (Korea Institute for International Economic Policy), Prof. Ludger Kühnhardt (Center for European Integration Studies, Germany), Ambassador Rosario Manalo (Ateneo de Manila University, the Philippines) and Prof. Xinning Song (United Nations University-Centre for Regional Integration Studies, Belgium). 10 Thank you to Chulalongkorn University, Hong Kong Baptist University and Ateneo de Manila University for hosting workshops that have helped in conso- lidating the research methodology for the project and disseminating the findings to a wider audience in Asia and Europe. We would like to thank the University of Warsaw, Poland, for their genero- sity and support for the publication. Special thanks goes to Ms. Ira Martina Drupady (ASEF) and Mr. Jerzy Jago- dzinski (University of Warsaw) for co-ordinating the editorial and production process for the publication. Lastly, the editors would like to thank the European Commission (EC) and the French government for their support for the “EU through the Eyes of Asia” project through the EC Trust Fund for ASEF and the French Trust Fund for ASEF respectively. Martin Holland, Peter Ryan, Alojzy Z. Nowak and Natalia Chaban (Editors) Prologue Bertrand Fort* The Strategic Importance of the ESiA Network in Reinforcing Asia-Europe Relations Introduction In 1996, a summit of the leaders of the European Union (EU), the European Commission (EC) and ten countries in East Asia marked a historic point in Asia’s relations with Europe. Then Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong initiated the holding of an Asia-Europe summit largely to promote trade and multilatera- lism, as well as for a perceived need for greater political and intellectual dialogue to forestall any ‘clash of civilisations’ between Asia and Europe.1 The early 1990s also marked a dramatic shift in France’s diplomatic strategy in Asia. Despite long- standing relations between France and Asia, in particular with Indochina since the nineteenth century, the region was deemed the ‘new frontier of French diploma- cy’2. France had fallen behind and was not developing trade relations with the emerging economies of Asia quickly enough. Seizing on the Singaporean initia- tive, France convinced its fellow EU members to form this new political partner- ship between Asia and Europe.3 The first summit in Bangkok thus called for ‘the strengthening of cultural links between Asia and Europe, particularly the fostering of closer people-to-people