• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.72
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• pp.139-160
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• 2016

Using the gravity model, this paper analyzes empirically how the world trade in goods is affected by regional trade agreements(RTAs) which have been spreading rapidly since the mid-1990s. This paper attempt to do the panel data analysis about 174 countries during the period of 1994-2008. These panel data include 157 RTAs. It is meaningful that this paper uses comprehensive data to analyze the net effect of regional trade agreements on the global trade volume. This provides a clue as to the answer to the stumbling block debate raised early in the regional trade agreement. Also, confirming how the participation of the WTO affected the trade volume among the member countries, the WTO-related dummy variables are additionally introduced to this gravity model. And as far as we know, the state system-related variables is first considered in this model. This variable reflects the social and cultural environments of countries as the proxy variable representing the sociocultural homogeneity. In all regressions, joining to the WTO and consistency of the state system have a positive effect on increasing the trade volumes between countries. According to the analysis of RTA trade effects, RTAs, on average, increase the volume of trade within the RTA region by 27%~37%, and decrease the volume of trade between the regional and the non-regional nation by 1.2%~3.4%.Therefore, the net effect of regional trade agreements on the promotion of global welfare is positive. For robustness check, we also introduce the interaction term of the dummy variable which reflects the RTA tightening and the continuous variable which reflects the distance effect. As a result, the RTAs alleviate the trade-decreasing effect which is caused by the distance between the countries.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.35-79
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• 2014

This study examines the measures for the activation and the growth of intra-regional trade in Southeast Asia taking a look at the four dimensions of tariff rates, non-tariff barriers, trade facilitations, and trade infrastructures. Utilizing a gravity model, we performed empirical analysis and discussed the policy implications with the priorities to implement. To expand the intra-regional trade in Southeast Asia it would be necessary to enhance the level of trade facilitations and provide trade infrastructures, such as ports and airports as well as cutting the tariff rates and eliminating the non-trade barriers. In particular, in the case of exports of ASEAN6 to ASEAN6 the infrastructure is the important factor. Also, in the case of the exports of ASEAN6 to CLMV(Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam), it is expected that eliminating non-tariff barriers and enhancing trade facilitations may play important roles in the progress of intra-regional trade. These results may provide the important implications for Southeast Asian countries, which are trying to promote intra-regional trade ahead of the constitution of ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. Southeast Asian countries could be evaluated to achieve a certain level of trade liberalization and economic integration through the formation of AFTA. But in order for Southeast Asia to develop to advanced economic integrated region it requires mutual cooperations and policy harmonizations among regional countries. Also, for the elimination of non-tariff barriers, promoting trade facilitations, and providing infrastructures, the administrative, legal, and institutional measures would have to be fulfilled in advance. In addition, capital investment for constructing infrastructures would be necessary to realize the intra-regional trade expansion. However, to achieve the goal, it would require a large capital investment and highly mandated policy considerations and harmonizations among Southeast Asian countries in terms of further trade liberalization and economic integration.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.95-112
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• 2021

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) signed by the 15 Asian countries in 2020 forms the world's largest free trading bloc. Using data for the period 2001 - 2019, this study evaluates global value chains (GVCs) among the RCEP members, with a primary focus on GVC backward participation which involves imports intermediates embodied in exports. This study finds that the RCEP's intra-regional linkages, particularly with the ASEAN members, are significantly higher than its extra-regional linkages in trade and GVC backward participation. Among the individual RCEP member countries, Korea is found to have a particularly strong intra-regional linkages with the ASEAN members in both trade and GVC participation.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.103-118
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• 2023

Purpose - This study aims to examine the dynamic relationship between the variables impacted by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the level of intra-industry trade among member states, with the ultimate objective of deducing the short- and long-term effects of RCEP on trade. Design/methodology - This study focuses on tariffs, GDP growth rates, and the proportion of regional FDI to total FDI as research variables, and employs a panel vector autoregression model and GMM-style estimator to investigate the dynamic relationship between RCEP and intra-industry trade among member countries. Findings - The study finds that the level of intra-industry trade between member states is positively impacted by both tariffs and intra-regional FDI. The impulse response graph shows that tariffs and FDI within the region can promote intra-industry trade among member countries, with a quick response. However, the contribution rates of tariffs and intra-regional FDI are not particularly high at approximately 1.5% and 1.4%, respectively. In contrast, the contribution rate of GDP growth can reach around 8.5%. This implies that the influence of economic growth rate on intra-regional trade in industries is not only long-term but also more powerful than that of tariffs and intra-regional FDI. Originality/value - The originality of this study lies in providing a new approach to investigating the potential impact of RCEP while avoiding the limitations associated with the GTAP model. Additionally, this study addresses existing gaps within the research, further contributing to the research merit of the study.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.447-467
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• 2016

The RTAs with trade facilitation provisions have been expected to generate a larger net trade-creating effect and complement the discriminatory feature of RTAs but have yet to be empirically proven. Recognizing the limitations of existing studies, we conducted a quantitative analysis on the effects of RTAs with and without trade facilitation provisions on both intra- and extra-bloc trade by using a modified gravity equation. We applied the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimation with time varying exporter and importer fixed effect method to panel data consisting of 45,770 country pairs covering 170 countries for 2000-2010. We found that the trade facilitation provisions in existing RTAs are non-discriminatory by generating more intra- and extra-bloc trade in general. In particular, we found that the trade effects of RTAs in the APEC region are much stronger than the general case covering all RTAs in the world. In addition, as we control the trade effect of a country's trade facilitation, which is ranked by the World Bank's logistic performance index, RTAs consisting of trade facilitation provisions are discriminatory for trade in final goods and non-discriminatory for trade in intermediate goods. Overall, we endeavor to "explain," instead of "hypothesizing," why most of the recent RTAs contain trade facilitation provisions, especially in light of the deepening regional interdependence through trade in parts and components under global value chains and support the necessity of multilateralizing RTAs by implementing non-discriminatory trade facilitation provisions.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.117-137
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• 2012

The objective of this article is to examine the characteristic features of contemporary policy-led regionalism in Asia. It identifies the positive and negative features associated with the free trade agreements that have proliferated in Asia during the first decade of the $21^{st}$ century. There has been a marked transformation in Asia's regional architecture in a short span of a decade-and-a-half. The mode and conduct of multilateral trade has been significantly transformed during recent years and Asia could not possibly remain immune to this transformation. The importance of regionalism in multilateral trade has increased steadily. In addition, the trade-investment-services nexus has developed and grown increasingly important. As business firms now manufacture parts of their products across the border, bilateral trade agreements (BTAs), regional trade agreements (RTAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) of the contemporary period need to take into account the new kind of trade barriers that have been created due to the changing mode of trade. The contemporary regional agreements need to be designed to facilitate the new modes of conducting business and trade. It was understood rather late in Asia that the 'WTO-Plus' FTAs are more functional and result-oriented than their predecessors.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.657-664
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• 2020

We investigate the impact of roads and highways within the provinces on the regional trade of China using the augmented Gravity Model and theory of modeling trade. We take a panel data covering 31 provinces of China over 20 years period (1998-2017) for the estimations. We apply ARMA-OLS model, fixed and random effects, and robust findings by Hausman test. The results imply that road and highway lengths within the provinces have a significantly positive impact on the value of the province-wise exports. The positive impact is due to the fact the increased coverage of roads and highways increase accessibility to resources and mobility of goods and services within the regions. Moreover, employment in the transportation sector, per capita GDP and population of the provinces also illustrate positive and significant influence on regional exports and trade. The impact of China's WTO accession on regional exports has been positive, while the financial crisis has had a negative impact. The year dummies show that, in the years following the financial crisis, China was able to regress from the external shock as trade within the provinces increased. The increase in exports after financial crisis is mainly due to the government policies and support to every province.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.333-359
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• 2013

Two mega-regional negotiations are changing the landscape of Asia Pacific trade policy: an Asian track centered on ASEAN (the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP), and a Trans-Pacific track centered on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) among 12 economies, including the United States, which Korea is expected to join. Modeling results suggest that both would generate substantial benefits for Korea and the global economy. From Korea's viewpoint, the agreements would establish new FTAs with China, Japan and smaller economies, improve the utilization of FTAs by permitting the regional cumulation of inputs, and help to upgrade some Korean FTAs to more rigorous standards. By participating in these agreements, Korea could also help to guide them toward inclusive, high-quality regional outcomes. As one of the region's most open and agile economies, Korea has a large stake in regional integration and would be well advised to pursue both tracks.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.17-26
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• 2022

This paper analyzes the comparative advantages and development prospects of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Based on a SWOT analysis method, this study finds that the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone has a set of comparative advantages, including location advantage, rich resources, industrial transformation and new industries, technological innovation capabilities, new patterns for development, and policy support. In recent years, by leveraging its key resources, Anhui Province has been committed to developing an open economy. Furthermore, its economic vitality has increased significantly under preferential policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Europe International Freight Shuttle, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Plan. As a result, the total foreign trade has continued to grow. The findings of this study highlight that the comparative advantages are of great significance to the development of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone, which helped expand the scope and openness of the regional economy and foreign investment. However, to achieve the development objectives of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone as planned, these comparative advantages must be developed and converted into a set of sustainable competitive advantages for the regional economy. Therefore, a few development suggestions are put forward.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.41-52
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• 2022

This paper analyzes the advantages and opportunities of regional development prospects of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone. In addition, it provides suggestions for the future development of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone. The establishment of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone is a major platform for Anhui Province, China, to serve the nation's opening-up strategy to the world and an opportunity for the Anhui region to enhance the level of an open economy. The development plan points out that the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone 1) takes institutional innovation as the core, 2) complies with the requirements of the innovation-driven development and promotion of the Yangtze River Delta regional integration development strategy, and 3) plays a vital node role in promoting the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and 4) accelerates the construction of scientific and technological innovation sources, advanced manufacturing and strategic emerging industries. The findings of this study highlight three critical achievements as follows: 1) optimization and improvement of the business environment have progressed, 2) the conversion rate of scientific and technological innovation achievements has increased, and 3) advanced high-tech manufacturing and strategic emerging industries are clustered and developed.