It is tempting for Europeans to project their own history onto Asia and to view current developments there as a mere repetition, if not an imitation, of what occurred in Europe. In fact, Asians themselves encourage this temptation, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) openly aiming to become increasingly like the European Union.
欧洲人很容易把他们自己的历史投射到亚洲身上，并把现在的发展看作不过是对欧洲曾经发生过的事情的一种重复，如果不是模仿的话。事实上，亚洲人自己也鼓励这种引诱，东盟就公开宣称他们的目标是越发类似欧盟。