A Neo-Gramscian Perspective On East Asian Economic Regionalism In The Aftermath Of Trump’s Protectionism

Faturrahman Faturrahman

doi:10.55227/ijhess.v5i1.1736

Authors

Faturrahman Faturrahman Universitas Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v5i1.1736

Abstract

The resurgence of U.S. protectionist policies under President Donald Trump has triggered major shifts in the global economic and geopolitical landscape. The imposition of unilateral tariffs on over 80 countries, including China, Japan, and South Korea, disrupted international trade flows and weakened trust in the liberal international order. This article examines the relationship between U.S. protectionism and the rise of East Asian regionalism through a neo-Gramscian lens, drawing on Robert Cox’s framework of historical structures and counter-hegemonic projects. The analysis shows that protectionist measures by the United States prompted East Asian powers to strengthen their economic interdependence, reorient ideological commitments toward regional multilateralism, and revive institutional mechanisms such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Trilateral cooperation among China, Japan, and South Korea, particularly through renewed negotiations for a Trilateral Free Trade Area, reflects a strategic response to hegemonic instability and a desire to construct a more autonomous regional order. These developments indicate the emergence of a new East Asian bloc that challenges U.S.-centric global trade leadership and contributes to a broader structural transformation toward a multipolar world

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