Fredrik Erixon is director and co-founder of the European Centre for International Political Economy at Brussels. He has worked as adviser to the British Government; and at the office of the prime minister of Sweden, in the World Bank and at JP Morgan. Krishnan Srinivasan is a former Indian foreign secretary and deputy secretary-general of the Commonwealth. He is presently a visiting professor at ASCI Hyderabad and fellow at the Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies at Kolkata.

Europe and Asia are each undergoing major change. That is a statement of the obvious, as is the fact that comparing their development is difficult. The great strength of this study of the relationships between Europe and Asia is that it is approached with a fine measure of detachment. The point is made clearly in the introduction, which refers to the absence of undisputed definitions of what emerging Asia and Europe comprise as regional. In addition to the introduction, there are twelve chapters, dealing with different aspects of the subject. Each chapter follows a pattern, with different headed sections, and a conclusion, which makes comparison much easier — and which reflects the professional skill of the editors.

• Abbreviations / Preface, Ana Palacio / Preface, M K Narayanan / Introduction: Europe in Emerging Asia: Visions and Divisions, Fredrik Erixon and Krishnan Srinivasan / 1. Europe and India: Dialogue without Intimacy, Krishnan Srinivasan / 2. Europe and South Asia: An Enduring Engagement, Iftekhar Chowdhury / 3.Europe and Southeast Asia: The Nature of Contemporary Relations, Evi Fitriani / 4. Thailand’s Middle Income Trap and Europe’s Assistance, Kriengsak Chareonwongsak / 5. Korea and Asia-Europe Relations, Jin Park / 6. Britain, Europe and Emerging Asia: A Tale of Opportunity and Frustration, James Mayall / 7. Whither Asia-Europe Trade Relations and Political Cooperation? Fredrik Erixon / 8. EU-China Trade Relations: The Past, Present and Future, Zhang Xiaotong / 9. Why China-European Relations are not so Strategic: Ten Hypotheses, Wang Yiwei / 10. Central Europe, the European Union and Emerging Asia, Agnieszka Kuszewska / 11. Europe’s Eastward Expansion: The Connotations for Emerging Asia, Hari Vasudevan / 12. American Bargaining, Pivoting, and Rebalancing: Implications for Europe and Emerging Asia, Philip I. Levy / Notes on Contributors / Index / Bibliography