Gabor Holch presents an analysis of one of the latest developments in interregional relations, relations between the EU and East Asia. In spite of their historical ties, interaction between the two regions have been restricted to little more than trade and development projects between certain European nations and their former Asian colonies. The essay deals with the role the European Union can play in the East Asian region. Traditionally, most attention is devoted to the multilateral-intergovernmental relations which were established to provide a regulatory framework for the economic relations and political dialogue between the two regions. The high-level dialogue that arose between politicians of the two regions during the past 20-odd years, however, does not meet the standards of the period following the Cold War. The essay presents theoretical and empirical material to suggest that the aspects of the East Asia-EU interregional process linking the civil societies of the two regions make a significant contribution to the eventual strengthening of the process in the future.