New Free Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific: Towards Lattice Regionalism?

✍ Scribed by Christopher M. Dent

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 331
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The recent proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs) in the Asia-Pacific is arguably the most important development in the region's international trade agreements in recent years. This book presents a comprehensive study of the main causes, consequences and nature of the Asia-Pacific's new FTA trend, as well as its implications for the global economy. It explores the FTA policies of the region's trade powers and offers new conceptual and theoretical perspectives on the relationship between economic bilateralism and regionalism, in particular whether intensifying FTA bilateralism may lead to the development of 'lattice regionalism' in the Asia-Pacific.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables and Figures......Page 11
List of Abbreviations......Page 12
Preface......Page 16
The significance of New Asia-Pacific FTA trend......Page 18
An introduction to FTAs......Page 32
Recent global trends in FTA activity......Page 41
The WTO and FTAs......Page 51
Trade policy paradigm shift......Page 58
Trade institution inertia......Page 59
FTA 'Catch-up' with other regions......Page 66
The impact of the 1997/98 East Asian financial crisis......Page 67
Strategic diplomacy motives......Page 68
Agriculture......Page 70
Other 'sensitive' industry issues......Page 72
Deficient technocratic and institutional capacities......Page 74
Conclusion......Page 75
Introduction......Page 80
Australia......Page 83
Japan......Page 93
New Zealand......Page 104
Singapore......Page 113
South Korea......Page 121
Taiwan......Page 129
Thailand......Page 137
United States......Page 145
Conclusion......Page 160
Australia–US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA)......Page 167
ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA)......Page 176
China's Closer Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) with Hong Kong and Macao (HKCCEPA, MCCEPA)......Page 181
Thailand–Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA)......Page 186
Japan–Mexico Free Trade Agreement (JMFTA)......Page 190
South Korea–Chile Free Trade Agreement (KCFTA)......Page 195
US–Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA)......Page 201
Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEPA)......Page 208
Conclusion......Page 214
Historic overview of economic bilateralism......Page 220
Regionalism in perspective......Page 223
Regionalism in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific: an introductory overview......Page 228
Bilateralism and regionalism in other regions: Europe and Latin America......Page 229
Introduction......Page 232
Region-convergent bilateralism......Page 233
Region-divergent bilateralism......Page 234
Key issues of debate......Page 235
The 'spaghetti bowl' problem......Page 236
The politico-diplomatic discourse on lattice regionalism......Page 244
Competitive liberalisation......Page 246
Hubs, spokes and contesting FTA models......Page 249
The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum and FTAs......Page 258
FTAs and developing countries......Page 263
Conclusion......Page 270
Appendix A: The Chronological Development of Asia-Pacific FTA Projects......Page 277
Appendix B: Scope and Schedules of Liberalisation of Selected Asia-Pacific FTAs: A Comparative Analysis......Page 295
Appendix C: Thematic Content of Asia-Pacific FTAs......Page 304
Appendix D: Bilateral Trade Flows in the Asia-Pacific, 2004 in US$ millions......Page 305
Appendix E: Rules of Origin (RoO) Regimes in Asia-Pacific FTAs......Page 306
References......Page 307
A......Page 319
C......Page 320
D......Page 321
F......Page 322
I......Page 323
K......Page 324
N......Page 325
R......Page 326
S......Page 327
T......Page 328
U......Page 329
Z......Page 330