Northeast Asian Energy Corridor Initiative for Regional Collaboration

For historical and political reasons, South Korea (hereafter Korea), Japan and China have not achieved much progress in regional energy cooperation for decades. However, the rising importance of Northeast Asia (NEA) in the world energy sphere, especially in the global oil market, is providing an opportunity to create an integrated oil market in the region. This study suggests the Northeast Asian Energy Corridor (NEAEC) Initiative as an effective conduit for raising the possibility of the Northeast Asian oil hub project. The NEAEC Initiative combines the model of Europe's Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) with Singapore's AsiaClear as a form of financial collaboration. The study suggests that an electronically integrated Over-the-Counter (OTC) market clearing mechanism accompanied by other key financial instruments among Korea, Japan and China can be an effective means for promoting financial collaboration in the region.