East Asia Integrates

As the economies of East Asia shape a development strategy, trade and investment integration will be key elements. Increasingly the development agenda in the region, with its focus on growth, jobs and social stability - and the trade policy agenda, with its focus on market access and competitiveness - have become intertwined. This book considers first, the widening opportunities in trade arrangements for the region. Chapters in this section include those on China's accession to the WTO, the new regionalism in East Asia, and the impact of market access barriers in the poorest areas of East Asia. The second part looks at the 'behind-the-border-agenda' and covers trade and logistics, intellectual property rights, and environmental and labour standards affecting trade and competitiveness in East Asia. In the final section of the book, the authors consider the potential impact of integration on poorer countries and on vulnerable groups and discuss ways of reinforcing social stability through a broad sharing of benefits.