East Asia was a latecomer to the global proliferation of free-trade agreements. In 2000, only three FTAs were in effect in East Asia, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area (AFTA); another 10 were in various stages of preparation. However, in just a decade, the number of FTAs in the region increased more than tenfold. By mid-2010, East Asia had emerged at the forefront of global FTA activity, with 45 FTAs in effect and another 84 in various stages of preparation.

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