EastBridge was founded in 1997 by JC West, AS Kaufmann, and JM Borton, with a mission to “publish worthwhile books on Asia for Western readers that will enhance their understanding of and appreciation for the complexity and distinctiveness of the many Asian cultures and societies. EastBridge places emphasis on original books in English and translations of books into English from their original Asian languages”.

In 2017 the EastBridge backlist was acquired by Camphor Press, an Anglo-Taiwanese publisher with similar aims to EastBridge. Camphor Press are rereleasing every book for which EastBridge still holds the rights, some fifty-five in total, under the Eastbridge Books imprint. There are plans afoot to resume publishing new works under the imprint in 2018.