Free Trade Agreements and the Prospects for Regional Integration in East Asia

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razeen SALLY
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements

East Asia Institutionalises: China, Japan and the Vogue for Free Trade

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Webster
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Comprehensive Approach ◽  
Partner Country ◽  
The Past ◽  
China And Japan

AbstractIn the past decade East Asia has taken steps to increase regional integration. This paper examines the vogue for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) currently raging in China and Japan. After mapping the regional links that knit East Asia together during the 1990s and 2000s, the focus then shifts to the specific trade agreements that China and Japan have signed. Both countries exhibit a particular FTA “style;” Japan has adopted a more orthodox and comprehensive approach to its treaties, while China has shown greater flexibility and gradualism when dealing with FTA partners. It is still unclear whether these efforts will lead to a region-wide FTA, or a continued crisscrossing of bilateral arrangements. In either case, China's eagerness to adapt to partner country expectations likely gives it an edge in becoming the regional hub of East Asia.

Political Leadership, Informality, and Regional Integration in East Asia: The Evolution of Asean Plus Three

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshimatsu Hidetaka
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Public Goods ◽  
Catalytic Role ◽  
Asean Countries ◽  
Shared Norms

AbstractSince the late 1990s, moves towards regional integration and cooperation have gained momentum in East Asia. The regional countries have expanded and deepened integration initiatives under the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) framework that consists of ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea. What factors have promoted the development of regional integration and economic cooperation in the region? This article addresses this question in terms of collectively shared norms and political leadership. Informality, a representative common norm, played a catalytic role in first nurturing communication for regional cooperation and inducing a reluctant state to join the cooperative framework. Importantly, the development of regional cooperation under the APT framework was accompanied by a shift in emphasis from informal to formal settings. Moreover, leadership shown by China and Japan has played a crucial role in promoting the regional integration initiatives. While China has taken the initiative in propelling regional free trade agreements and economic development and integration in the Indochina countries, Japan has taken the lead in developing financial and monetary architectures and other cooperative mechanisms. Rivalry for political leadership has induced the two countries to provide regional public goods in a positive-sum game manner.

scholarly journals Free Trade Agreements versus Customs Unions: An Examination of East Asia

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innwon Park ◽  
Soonchan Park
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium Model ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Customs Unions ◽  
Ex Post

The spaghetti bowl phenomenon expected from the proliferating East Asian regional trade agreements (RTAs) is worrisome. In particular, the complicated web of hub-and-spoke type of overlapping free trade agreements (FTAs) can result in high costs for verifying rules of origin. As an alternative policy option to avoid the negative effect of trade deflection, customs unions (CUs) should be examined. Most of the theoretical analyses on the formation of CUs highlight stronger positive welfare effects compared to FTAs. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the second-best theory of customs unions. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by applying two methodologies: an ex ante simulation approach and an ex-post econometric approach. We quantitatively estimate the trade effect of CUs and FTAs by adopting a Gravity regression analysis. In general, we find that a CU is a superior type of RTA to an FTA in terms of creating more intra-bloc trade. In addition to analyzing the trade effects of RTAs according to type, we quantitatively evaluate the welfare and output effects of CUs for East Asia (an ASEAN+3 CU and a China-Japan-Korea CU) compared to FTAs by applying a computable general equilibrium model analysis. The East Asian CUs adopt a system of common external tariffs (CET) based on simple-averaged, import-weighted, consumption-weighted, and minimum rates. Overall, we find that the ASEAN+3 CU with the minimum CET are the most desirable type of RTA for both East Asian member countries and the world economy as a whole.

Bilateral Free Trade Agreements: Boon or Bane for Regionalism in East Asia and the Asia-pacific?

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Dent
Keyword(s):  
Structural Foundation ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreement ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Distant Future

AbstractSince the late 1990s there has been a rapid proliferation of bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) projects in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, regions previously largely devoid of FTA activity by comparison to others. As this trend has intensified, so have discussions on whether it will help advance regional co-operation and integration. This paper examines the nature of FTAs themselves and the main causes of East Asia and Asia-Pacific FTAs. The 'lattice regionalism' hypothesis is considered: whether dense economic bilateralism provides a sub-structural foundation on which economic regionalism (i.e. co-operation and integration) can build. Closely related is the issue of competing FTA models and modalities in the Asia-Pacific, and special attention is afforded to the 'asymmetric neoliberal' FTA model of the United States and the 'developmental–industrial' FTA model championed by Japan. It is argued that the contrasts between these make the emergence of an Asia-Pacific FTA unlikely in even the distant future. Japan's FTA model is also considered relative to perhaps East Asia's most important FTA project, the ASEAN–China FTA (ACFTA), and we discuss how bilateral FTA developments in the region more generally may or may not lead to enhanced regional economic co-operation and integration in East Asia.

scholarly journals Free Trade Agreement between Turkey and Russian Federation and its Possible Effects to these Countries’ Trade and Taxational Reflections

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raşit Gültekin ◽  
Mustafa Erkan Üyümez
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Free Trade Agreement ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Restrictions ◽  
The Impact

The last period of international trade in goods covers a process carried out with globalization and regionalization efforts. Many countries, on the one hand, take part in arrangements that are executed under the leadership by global actors and aim at removing or reducing conventional obstacles to international trade, on the other hand, participate in various and regional economic integrations to provide a more deep and comprehensive economic cooperation and to cope with the competition and trade restrictions which continually increasing due to political, commercial and economical motives. Trade relations between Turkey and Russian Federation is an important element of the two countries' multidimensional cooperation. The most effective attempt to raise the top level of the volume and quality of existing commercial relationships will be the signing and putting into practice of a comprehensive free trade agreements between the two countries that have not been done previously. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential effects of such a free trade agreements between Turkey and Russian Federation in terms of trade in goods between two countries. To this end, in this study, theoretical aspects of free trade agreements' effects and place within regional integration types will be considered the impact of the possible Turkey-Russia free trade agreement will be examined in a framework of basic provisions with customs duties that set out in free trade agreements, recent trade data and key issues related to these countries.

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