Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2023. ix, 245 pp. (Tables, graphs, figures.) US$98.00, cloth. ISBN 9781955055970.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted global economic linkages and caused mass unemployment as a result of disruptions in international trade. In this edited book by Stephen Noakes and Alexander C. Tan, the overall question is: What were the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the small states of the Asia-Pacific? The editors break up the central question into three smaller questions: How were the economies of the smaller states in the Asia-Pacific impacted by the pandemic? What were their coping strategies? What are the prospects and problems confronting economic recovery and cooperation across the region? Overall, the editors tie the chapters together successfully, and each chapter contributes to the nuanced geoeconomic context that the small states in the region face given the economic impact of COVID-19 against the backdrop of tense US-China relations.
Chapter 1 provides readers with the overall scope of the volume and touches on its importance for the study of the political economy of small states in the Asia-Pacific region in the aftermath of the pandemic. The editors also operationalize terms such as the Asia-Pacific (over the Indo-Pacific) and small states. This chapter further discusses the division of the succeeding substantive chapters into two parts: part 1 includes chapters that examine economic impacts and experiences of COVID-19 in specific small states in the region. Chapters in part 2 of the book cover national strategies that have been planned or utilized for post-pandemic recovery.
Chapters 2 to 5 cover the disparate experiences of various small states in the Asia-Pacific. Chapters 2 and 4, which delve into Singapore and the Pacific Island states respectively, bear parallels in their discussions on the need to balance domestic and international interests. In chapter 2, author Benjamin Ho Tze Ern discusses the domestic tensions between the cosmopolitan elites, who wanted to maintain the city-state’s international perception as an “open” city by reopening borders as soon as possible, and the heartland supporters, who were focused on domestic concerns vis-à-vis the pandemic. Chapter 4 presents a similar conundrum between the domestic and international realms in the Pacific Island states. Author Steven Ratuva poses a fascinating argument highlighting the need to emphasize a social solidarity economy, which helped these small island states in dealing with human insecurity issues brought about by COVID-19. His emphasis on the need to move away from an overreliance on tourism and international aid illustrates the parallels to chapter 2’s emphasis on the tensions between the local and international which were exposed by the pandemic.
In chapter 3, Jason Young presents a challenging economic context for New Zealand, wherein the pandemic has exposed economic vulnerabilities tied to an overreliance on China for trade and exacerbated fears of weaponized interdependence and economic coercion from Beijing. The author calls for a renewed commitment to the rules-based international economic order while also encouraging decreased dependency on China as an exports market.
Chapter 5, by Frank Siedlock, Natasha Hamilton-Hart, and Hsiao-Chen Shen, posits the argument that due to it being a developmental state, Taiwan’s pre-existing institutions facilitated cooperation between the private and public sectors leading to effectiveness in producing face masks which were in short supply during the pandemic. This chapter provides a smooth segue into the second part of the book, as chapter 6 by Sung-Young Kim presents the impact of the pandemic on bolstering greening objectives in three developmental states: Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. This chapter compliments chapter 7 by Roy Lee, which deals with Taiwan’s concerns over changing global supply chains and chapter 8 by Charles Finny and Neel Vanvari, which highlights the repercussions of the increased US disengagement from regional and international commitments.
As US-China tensions escalate and increased uncertainty loom, the chapters in the second part of the volume all illustrate that the small states of the Asia-Pacific are using their agency to chart paths that reflect their own interests. Whether it be the call for Taiwan to be vigilant about increased structural uncertainty tied to the current global supply chains and its important role in the global supply of microprocessors (chapter 7) or the push by several developmental states to maintain techno-economic competitiveness through green economy initiatives (chapter 6), it is clear that the pandemic led to structural changes to which the small states in the region have subsequently responded. In fact, as Stephanie Honey in chapter 9 argues, small states like Singapore, New Zealand, and Chile, based on multilateral agreements like the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, are pursuing cutting-edge models for digital trade governance that foster more secure digital economic exchanges. Overall, the chapters in part 2 cover a range of cases but offer a comprehensive picture of the post-pandemic recovery efforts by small states, clearly highlighting their agency.
As editors Noakes and Tan mention in the concluding chapter, the preceding chapters of the book offer perspectives on how small states have navigated the pandemic itself and the post-pandemic economic efforts amidst US-China tensions. Overall, the authors offer excellent insights into their individual case studies. Nevertheless, the volume does not incorporate numerous other small states in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly those in Southeast Asia, while some others are repeatedly covered. Perhaps this is a function of the nature of crafting an edited volume. I also think that the book could be better situated within the wider literature on small states. This volume is an excellent addition to the growing literature on small states and as such, I believe that better contextualization of this book within the wider literature on such states would ground the volume further in that particular area within international relations. Nevertheless, this edited book offers novel insights into small states’ agency within the specific context of tense US-China relations and the tumultuous post-pandemic recovery period.
Bibek Chand
University of North Georgia, Oakwood