| ID | 092137 |
| Title Proper | Between bilateralism and regionalism in East Asia |
| Other Title Information | the ASEAN-Japan comprehensive economic partnership |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Corning, Gregory P |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper examines economic regionalism in East Asia with a focus on the key issues in harmonizing bilateral free trade agreements. The ASEAN+1 free trade agreements with China, South Korea and Japan represent the first attempts to structure cooperation in trade across Southeast and Northeast Asia. It is therefore important to examine the coverage of these agreements and the extent to which they actually liberalize trade. This study focuses on major choices made in the negotiation of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the ways in which these choices help or hinder the consolidation of economic regionalism. The results achieved in the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement are limited at best. The agreement does establish some new areas of cooperation among the signatories but fails to address important issues for regionalism such as labor mobility. It also makes limited progress in harmonizing and liberalizing rules of origin. The ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement applies product-specific rules to fewer categories of goods than most of Japan's bilateral agreements with ASEAN members but those rules in place are still very restrictive. Moreover, the parties to the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have the option of applying the rules of their bilateral agreement if it provides more favorable treatment. Thus, there is no guarantee the more liberal terms of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will be applied. |
| `In' analytical Note | Pacific Review Vol. 22, No. 5; Dec 2009: p.639 - 665 |
| Journal Source | Pacific Review Vol. 22, No. 5; Dec 2009: p.639 - 665 |
| Key Words | Japan ; ASEAN ; Regionalism ; Rules of Origin ; FTA |