OVERVIEW
Asia and Europe have become increasingly interconnected over the last few decades; this is due largely to their economic, political, cultural, and historical ties to one another. Due to the deepening relationship between the two regions, it seems natural to ask, “How is the EU perceived in Asia?” as the EU is the most significant economic partner for many Asian countries and is emerging as an increasingly prominent political and security dialogue partner for the region.
In 2006, the ASEF and the National Centre for Research on Europe initiated “The EU through the Eyes of Asia” project to address the existing knowledge gap. This unprecedented comparative study looked at citizens’ perceptions of the EU in Asia, and the project was undertaken in 12 research sites throughout Asia. The Asia-wide research project was a major academic collaboration to measure media, public, and elite perceptions of the EU in the Asian countries of ASEM. The latest findings of this project were published in “The EU Through The Eyes Of Asia Volume II: New Cases, New Findings,” which provided insights into EU visibility in three Southeast Asian countries — the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Martin Holland travelled to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam to launch the new publication and present the findings and key data collected throughout the course of the project. This series of events was organised under the Asia-Europe Lecture Tour programme, an initiative by the ASEF to give opinion leaders in Asia and Europe greater inter-regional exposure.
SPEAKER
Prof. Martin Holland, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, UK
