The US rebalancing and the process of regionalization in the Asia-pacific

Abstract

This chapter analyses the legacy of the Pivot to Asia on the processes of region-building in the Asia-Pacific region, looking at the normative content, geographic shape and competition for leadership associated with them. The strategy of rebalancing aimed to consolidate a Trans-Pacific form of regional order, rooted in Washington's leadership and free market capitalism, and attempted to prevent the rise of Sino-centric regional order, based on Chinese leadership and "State capitalist" practices. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) represented a key pillar of that strategy. The chapter concludes that a reversal of the strategy of rebalancing, particularly in the realm of regional economic governance, might lead to a progressive decline of the American influence in the region.