Asian Free Trade Agreements and WTO Compatibility Goods, Services, Trade Facilitation and Economic Cooperation

Ch. 1. Introduction. Conceptualizing the WTO compatibility of FTAs. 1.1. WTO compatibility, WTO consistency and WTO friendliness. 1.2. Overarching research question of the study -- ch. 2. Analytical framework for WTO friendliness of FTAs. How to check if they are real "friends" of WTO? 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. First-generation literature: Open regionalism. 2.3. Second-generation literature. 2.4. Analytical framework for WTO friendliness of FTAs. 2.5. Summary -- ch. 3. Free trade agreements in goods. Is trade bilateralism in Asia consistent with WTO rules and norms? 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Difference in multilateral principles of regionalism: GATT article XXIV versus enabling clause. 3.3. Analytical framework for assessing the openness of enabling clause-based FTAs. 3.4. Overview of FTAs around the world. 3.5. Empirical study of enabling clause-based FTAs in Asia. 3.6. Policy issues of bilateral enabling clause-based FTAs. 3.7. Summary -- 4. Regional approaches to trade facilitation. Are regional trade facilitation measures discriminatory against non-members? 4.1. Introduction. 4.2. Difference in multilateral principle of regionalism: Trade liberalization versus trade facilitation. 4.3. Analytical framework for assessing the openness of regional trade facilitation. 4.4. Overview on trade facilitation measures under FTAs in the world. 4.5. Discriminatory and non-discriminatory cases of regional trade facilitation. 4.6. Policy suggestions: Minimizing negative externality of regional trade facilitation. 4.7. Summary -- 5. Regional services agreements. What is the value of GATS-plus regional services commitments? 5.1. Introduction. 5.2. Differences in multilateral principles of regionalism: Goods versus services. 5.3. Analytical framework for assessing the openness of regional services agreements. 5.4. Overview on regional services areements. 5.5. Case study: Achievements of the ASEAN framework agreement on services. 5.6. Policy issues: Regional services agreements as a trigger for services reforms. 5.7. Summary -- ch. 6. Economic cooperation under FTAs. Do FTAs impose WTO-plus technical assistance obligations on members? 6.1. Introduction. 6.2. Multilateral governance on developmental issues. 6.3. Analytical framework for WTO-plus elements of technical assistance under FTAs. 6.4. Overview on technical assistance provisions under WTO agreements. 6.5. Case study: Technical assistance under Japan-ASEAN EPAs. 6.6. Policy implications: The developmental perspective of regionalism debates. 6.7. Summary -- ch. 7. Conclusion. Counter-intuitive policy implications for WTO-compatible FTAs. 7.1. Summary of important empirical findings. 7.2. Counter-intuitive policy implications