Free trade agreements:Asias choice

Free trade agreements:Asias choice ÄÚÈݼò½é

¡¡¡¡Under the unprecedented changes of the world£¬the economic globalization has been suffering from setbacks.Protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise£¬and the growth of international trade and investment is slowing down.The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic£¬which has taken away more than 1.5 million lives by 4 December 2020£¬and driven the world economy into deep recession£¬has inflicted profound impact on the course of globalization.Promotion of trade liberalization and facilitation within a region or among specific countries has become an expedient choice£¬which may provide impetus to international trade recovery and reshaping of the global trade system.We hailed the recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement £¨RCEP£© among ASEAN countries£¬Australia£¬China£¬Japan£¬New Zealand and Republic of Korea (hereafter referred to as Korea£¬or ROK£© in November 2020£¬which sent out a resounding message of upholding multilateralism£¬marked a milestone in Asian economic integration£¬and injected new economic vitality into Asia Pacific region.¡¡¡¡In this report£¬major free trade agreements concerning Asian economies have been carefully studied£¬which include not only the ones among Asian economies£¬but also those signed with the outside.Main features and progresses of these agreements have been analyzed£¬covering trade in goods£¬trade in services£¬investment£¬and dispute settlement mechanism.Some other regulation areas£¬such as energy£¬intellectual property£¬environmental protection£¬government procurement£¬competition policy£¬e-commerce£¬and small and medium-sized enterprises£¬a re also under consideration.¡¡¡¡By analyzing and comparing the rules of different trade agreements£¬we have deepened our understanding of the context of the free trade agreements£¬and sharpened the thinking over the economic£¬political£¬and social impacts on Asian economies arising from changes of the rules of FTAs.We also tried to put forward relevant policy recommendations about facilitating the better implementation of FTAs in Asia and promoting regional economic integration.It is our belief that£¬with an open mind and respect of each nation's reality£¬Asian economies can firmly implement and skillfully coordinate the FTAs and provide solid support for regional economic growth.¡¡¡¡Win-win cooperation rather than confrontation has been the mainstream in human history.During and after the pandemic£¬locking down and turning inward cannot solve problems regarding public health and economic development.Rebuilding trust and taking globally concerted actions are essential to win the battle against the pandemic and achieve smart£¬green£¬inclusive and sustainable recovery.Asian economies have been working relentlessly together£¬including propelling free trade and investment within the region and beyond£¬to safeguard multilateralism and globalization and promote the progress and prosperity of the world.