Pacific Centuries

This book provides an overview of five centuries of Pacific and Pacific Rim economic and trade history, making it a valuable contribution to understanding of the increasing global importance of this region.
The increasing importance of the Pacific and Pacific Rim within the global economy places us on the brink of a Pacific Century. While many hold that the concept of a Pacific region has only emerged in the 20th century, this work demonstrates that such an economic region has existed for almost five hundred years. Starting with the 16th-century trade of Latin American silver for Chinese silk, researchers trace the economic, environmental and social history of the Pacific region. Chapters examine the trade of diverse commodities within the Pacific and analyze the ecological and social impacts of this increasing economic activity. The strong Chinese marketplace emerges as crucial to early Pacific development, and is compared with Japan's central role in the region's modern economy. This book contributes to the understanding of a dynamic economic region. The study also advances research into the economic histories of South and South East Asia, Australia and America, situating them within the wider Pacific context.