Running title for this project is “A New Dimension in Asia-Europe Relations (NEAR): Exploring EU’s Global Actorness and Strategic Partnership in Asia (China, India, Japan and South Korea).” The ASEM framework, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2016, provides one of background factors of this project. EU’s cooperation with Asia should be strengthened in the future, given the potential of Asia to form the engine of world economic growth in the 21st century. With four Asian countries (China, India, Japan and Korea) having been nominated as strategic partners for the EU, good foundation has been laid down. However, as a number of ‘perception’ studies conducted over the past decade in the Asia-Pacific region show, the EU has to reinforce its efforts to be more effective and impactful with its global policies. Against this backdrop, this Jean Monnet Network project will aim to explore ways how the EU can enhance its “Global Actorness”, especially in the relationship with the Asian strategic partners. Therefore, this project is expected to contribute to the promotion of two aspects of EU-Asia relations: 1) Reconsideration and Reassessment of Normative Power Europe (NPE) in Asia; and, 2) Searching for the direction of ASEM’s future development. The participating countries are all Asian strategic partners of the EU in addition to the NCRE of New Zealand, which has been one of best-established EU Centres from outside the EU territory. The five Jean Monnet Chairs (one from each country) have been cooperating very closely and extremely effectively over the past 15 years. The establishment of EU Studies Association of Asia-Pacific (EUSA Asia-Pacific) and a number of meaningful projects conducted thereafter were the results of this excellent network. Through this Jean Monnet Network project in the framework of 2016 ERASMUS+ Programme, the team would like to initiate and consolidate the proven teamwork another time.