The PRC's Free Trade Agreements with ASEAN, Japan, and the Republic of Korea: A Comparative Analysis

Date: January 2012
Type: Papers and Briefs
Country:
Subject:
Regional cooperation and integration
Series: Regional Economic Integration Working Papers

Description

The role of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in East Asia’s recovery from the recent global financial and economic crisis highlighted the PRC’s growing role as an engine of growth for the region. From the viewpoint of the PRC, there are many potential gains from entering into free trade agreements (FTAs) with its neighbors, who collectively form a large and fast-growing market. In this paper we qualitatively and quantitatively assess the four main permutations of the PRC’s FTAs with the region’s major economies: PRC–ASEAN, PRC–Japan, PRC–Republic of Korea, and ASEAN+3. We compare the effects of the FTAs on the PRC’s output and welfare. Our comparative analysis shows that the PRC would gain from all three bilateral FTAs, while gaining the most from a larger region-wide FTA such as ASEAN+3.

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Qualitative Assessment of the PRC- ASEAN FTA and Potential FTAs with Japan and the Republic of Korea
  • Quantitative Assessment of the PRC’s FTAs with ASEAN, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
  • Concluding Observations
  • References