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...

The Doha Declaration on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health is a strong political statement, which further confirms the interpretative value of TRIPS. According to Paragraph 4 of the Doha Declaration, Members can...

In the wake of the Asian century, the Asia-Pacific region has seen a proliferation of FTAs. The driving force behind the initial formation of these agreements since the 1990s, however, has moved away from focusing on economic incentives to more strategic geopolitical concerns. This article...

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...

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...

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...

Given the current state of multilateral trade negotiations, it appears that preferential trade agreements (PTAs) will serve as the main vehicle for increased liberalization in the short term. The question arises, whether the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should and could include...

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...

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...