In this monograph, Pasha Hsieh presents a fresh and balanced perspective on the rise of Asian regionalism and its role in the current international economic order. The central argument of the book is that, with its committed engagement in the complex network of international trade agreements and institutions, the Asia-Pacific is propelling the Third Regionalism movement (p. 8)Footnote ¹ and contributing to what Hsieh terms the “New Regional Economic Order” (pp. 18–21). This new normative framework redefines North-South trade relations from one of exploitative dependency to meaningful engagement, where “developing countries transform dependent capitalism into export-driven economies” (p. 19). Therefore, Hsieh opines that the Asian integration model (especially the “Association of Southeast Asian Nations (‘ASEAN’) Way”) can be a feasible model for the developing world (p. 46), and its “pragmatic incrementalism” approach will influence and shape international economic law (pp. 236–7).

Chapter 2 focuses on the evolution and legalisation of ASEAN from both constructivist and realist lenses. In particular, Hsieh emphasises that ASEAN is “not an incomplete or halfway version of the EU” (p. 36) or a weak, soft-law framework (p. 24), but a significant institution built on Asian values of non-interference, non-litigation, and consensus decision-making. He also highlights ASEAN's incremental progress “like a crab” (p. 36), which includes improving the intra-ASEAN tariff and investment liberalisation, building strong trading partnerships through ASEAN Plus Six Agreements, and by leading the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. Next, in Chapter 3, Hsieh cautions against underestimating the RCEP's role by a simplistic comparison with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as the RCEP, which is built on “pragmatism” rather than “perfectionism” (p. 81) generates enormous opportunities and efficiencies, consolidates FTAs in the Asia-Pacific, and ultimately acts as a realistic framework for future agreements on several trade and investment issues.

Chapters 4 and 5 provide a historically engaged analysis of Asia's evolving trade relationship with the European Union (EU) and the United States (US). Chapter 4 provides detailed analysis of the innovations in EU's FTAs with Vietnam and Singapore as a ‘building block’ for future EU-ASEAN FTA (p. 102), signifying a transformation of the “relationship from a core-periphery relationship to an equal partnership” (p. 107). Chapter 5 highlights that the way forward for the US to re-engage with Asia would be for the Biden administration to focus on ASEAN as a bloc, and to pave way for the CPTPP 2.0 (p. 166). Chapter 6 shifts the focus to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which is described as a soft law framework based on “open regionalism” and “concerted unilateral liberalisation” (p. 198). Despite being often dubbed as a talk-shop (p. 201), Hsieh argues that APEC has had its share of success with the boosting of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and environmental goods (pp. 223–6), promoting trade facilitation such as the APEC Single Window (p. 221), and potentially paving the way for a future Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (p. 232).

The book is a refreshing read, responding to several misunderstandings in mainstream scholarship regarding Asia's weak role in shaping international economic law with clear and informed analysis and arguments. The book also deftly weaves historical narratives with international political economy and legal analysis. The thesis of this book also, potentially, poses new questions. For instance, could the disengagement of other Asian countries, particularly India, slow down New Asian regionalism, or is the Asian model resilient against intra-regional geopolitical conflicts, especially given the core values of consensus and non-litigation? While these areas could be interesting questions to explore in future research, this book is undoubtedly a significant contribution to integrating Asian perspectives in international economic law.