Pacific trade and regionalization, 1965–1990

Abstract

The configuration of the Pacific continues to be vague despite much discussion of regionalization of the Pacific countries. This article discusses the factors contributing to regionalization in the Pacific and examines Pacific trade over the 1965–1990 period in order to define the geographic structure of the region. Our results indicate that Pacific trade is characterized by a hierarchy with dominant vertical linkages centered on two main market cores: Japan and the United States. The presence of several subregional cores reveals the Pacific to be a multiple node trading region rather than a unified region. Implications of our findings for emerging global trade patterns are discussed.