Economic Integration and Rivalry in Asia: Comparing Regional Trade Strategies of China and India

Abstract
This paper offers a first attempt at a comparative political economy analysis of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) signed by the two main emerging markets in Asia: China and India. The following questions are addressed. Are the economic, political, and security dynamics behind the PTA strategies of the countries in question different or similar? Do we witness action–reaction processes when it comes to PTA strategies of China and India? And, finally, does one, or a particular mixture of (economic, domestic, security) conditions, help explain variation or similarity in depth, scope and target countries of the PTAs signed by these two countries? The questions are answered using a combination of interviews and primary and secondary sources. We envisage expanding on the paper at a later date to include the cases of Japan and South Korea and comparing all four cases with the help of a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).