This broad-ranging student textbook examines the rise of the Asia-Pacific as an important economic region. It looks at the sources of that rise, its future development and the possible consequences for the global economy. The analysis is divided into three sections considering: * how far the Asia-Pacific has developed as a regional system, looking at the patterns of integration of the principal economies * the relationship between the key individual economies of Japan, Korea, China and the United States * how the rise of the Asia-Pacific economy has affected the international economic system. In so doing it provides much-needed insights not only into the growth of this powerful economic region, but also the international context of Asia-Pacific development.