The most culturally diverse of the socio-economic blocs, the East Asian Association, really only arose in its current form in 2032 out of fear of resurgent Chinese imperialism as China became the world’s leading superpower in the mid 2030s. However, although divided politically and culturally, economically the structure made sense and is now the third largest economy on Earth (but only if counted as a collective entity), just ahead of the European Union. A general sense of progressivism has further united the sovereign states, as has over a century of shared history.