'East Asia is a crucial part of the global economy. This book analyses three key elements of East Asian economic integration: trade, investment and international finance. the authors are leading experts in their fields. Their book represents an important addition to the literature on a subject of fundamental importance both regionally and globally.' - Bradly J. Condon, ITAM, Mexico City

The accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 significantly transformed the global economy both de facto and de jure. At the regional level, China's WTO accession served as an important catalyst for the establishment of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) in East Asia. This was a novel development for the region, since East Asian States had previously followed a largely informal, market-driven approach to regional economic integration. By contrast, rules-based economic integration involving East Asian States was traditionally limited to multilateral integration under the GATT/WTO framework. This book systematically analyses and explains the development, nature and challenges of rules-based regional economic integration in East Asia with particular attention to the region's first four RTAs. While also addressing the socio-economic, historical and political factors influencing the development of RTAs in East Asia, the book focuses on the legal institutions governing economic integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as under the ASEAN–China Comprehensive Economic Co-Operation Agreement (ACFTA), the Japan–Singapore New Age Economic Partnership Agreement (JSEPA), and the Mainland China–Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). The book provides a systematic, comparative account of the scope, depth and (hard law versus soft law) quality of rules-based economic integration achieved under these four RTAs in the areas of trade in goods and services, investment liberalisation and protection, labour mobility, and dispute settlement.

"There has been a proliferation of proposals for bilateral free trade areas in East Asia in recent times. These initiatives fly in the face of the long-standing support of key players in the region such as Japan for the MFN-based non-discriminatory trading system and the commitment to non-discriminatory trade liberalisation and reform within APEC. As China establishes its role in the WTO, its interests are very much in an open global trading system. The paper argues that the core interests of East Asian economies remain in non-discriminatory global trading arrangements and prosecuting those interests within the Doha Round of trade negotiations. It suggests that a way forward in sorting out the trade-distorting and protectionist effects of free trade agreements would be for East Asian economies to take a lead in negotiations on strengthening WTO rules on preferential trade arrangements. In terms of global economic welfare, the only good preferential arrangement is one that disappears in time. The paper makes specific recommendations for re-vamping the rule on preferential trade arrangements with that objective in mind"--P. 1.

An investigation of the causes and implications for the U.S. of increasing economic integration in East Asia. Includes: an overview of trends in and conditions for trade, investment, and economic integration in East Asia: host country policies and factors influencing those trends and conditions; external factors affecting the business activities of major traders and investors in the region; the relationship between foreign direct investment in the region and the region's trade patterns with others; energy needs and resources in the region; environmental conditions and opportunities for local and U.S. interests.

This book presents a deeper understanding of the on-going de facto economic integration in East Asia, looking at the extent of economic integration, what sort of integration has been accomplished, and comparing the level of integration reached and the path followed to that of the European Union.

This volume consists of two parts. Part one discusses economic friction in the Asia-Pacific region from three aspects: macroeconomic and microeconomic friction, and that between the state and the market mechanism. In part two, four types of legal frameworks for dispute resolution are examined.