Abstract

Conventional approaches to analysing East Asian energy security dynamics tend to begin and end with the identification of areas and sources of geopolitical competition and how potential military conflicts could arise from this. There is a tendency to relate energy security to power politics, while the extent of the interdependence in the energy and product trade chain among nation states in East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific is often underestimated. Hence, while analytical perspectives that emphasise potential risks and problems are useful in understanding the nature of East Asian security challenges, it is necessary to also explore the often neglected dynamics of cooperation against a strategic environment defined by competition.