The political economy of international trade decision-making within the United States is complex and ever-changing. The debates over the merits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the associated efforts of the Obama Administration to obtain Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), highlight...

This article examines the interactions of power politics and international economic law in the development of regionalism in Asia, particularly in the context of United States-China trade relations. It argues that the process of regional economic integration in Asia has been slow-moving because...

By the time it was formally signed by New Zealand in February 2016, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) had morphed from an unassuming regional bargain into a mammoth agreement embracing some 40 per cent of global GDP and one third of world trade. The effects of the TPP, and whether...

Rules on digital trade are rapidly taking shape as countries in Asia-Pacific and beyond strive to secure the benefits associated with e-commerce and the digitalization of trade in goods and services. At the multilateral level, the WTO holds promise to reach a plurilateral agreement on core...

The objective of this working paper is to demonstrate that the Pacific Alliance constitutes an opportunity for the Parties of this process, to separate themselves from the schemes established in past negotiations regarding the protection of Intellectual Property Rights, in order to build a new...

What kind of technical assistance and capacity building benefits do developing countries enjoy if they sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with developed countries? This is a frequently asked question among developing country officials involved in FTA policymaking. While we tend to normatively...

While some commentators credit bilateral and regional free trade agreements (RTAs) for increasing regional trade and per capita GDP in Asia, this chapter contends that the role of RTAs in expanding regional trade in Asia has been overstated and exaggerated. Put simply, this chapter demonstrates...

This book chapter offers a comprehensive review of the free trade agreement between China and ASEAN ("ACFTA"), focusing on the rules concerning tariff reduction (including the Early Harvest Programme), trade in services, dispute resolution, as well as the progress on the negotiations on...

This paper argues that China’s attitude to multilateral trade is unclear. Moreover, China assumes little responsibility to maintain international order in global economic governance. Furthermore, this paper argues that China should hide less behind the status of a developing country and stand...

The role and shape of international trade agreements is changing. No longer simple devices for easing the movement of goods across borders, it is becoming both an instrument of integrated economic regulation at the supra national level and a tool of international relations within the emerging...