Two presumptions appear to underlie recent proposals for East Asian economic integration. The first is that economic integration is a good way to promote economic growth. The second is that preferential trade agreements (PTAs), particularly ones that go beyond goods trade, are an effective way...

Regional trading arrangements are proliferating at a rapid pace in the Asia-Pacific region, although the architecture that will eventually emerge remains uncertain. In this chapter we explore the economic implications for both China and its trading partners of the current crop of preferential...