论WTO对RTAs的“适度规制”

WTO’ Moderate Regulation towards RTAs

当代区域贸易协定(RTA)的迅猛发展对多边贸易体制形成了猛烈冲击。对此,GATT第24条的实效难以令人满意,其内容需要改革以适应实践需要。该难题的实质关键在于各国不肯向多边贸易体制轻易交权,深层根源在于全球化趋势加速与民族国家主权利益并存的根本的社会时代背景。RTAs具有各种复杂动因,因此WTO与RTAs间的冲突总体上属于国际条约间'纲领性冲突'的一种表现;完善WTO关于RTAs的纪律规范名为'规制'实为'协调'。将RTA严格地视为WTO最惠国待遇原则的一种例外,一味强调WTO对RTA的'制约'或'规范',实属无视世界经济发展现实,夸大WTO的能力。鉴于多边主义和'少边主义'两种治理方式各有生命力,它们在国家对外政策中必将长期共存,贸易领域亦不例外。WTO应对其与RTAs的关系作出清醒判断,在议题谈判中避免不切实际的精力浪费,作出应有而又适度的反应和处理,即'适度规制'。

Nowadays the rapid proliferation of Regional Trade Agreements(RTAs)makes a strong impact on the multilateral trade system.The actual effect of GATT Article 24 is not satisfactory,and its content needs to be reformed to accommodate to the contemporary practice.The essential crux of this difficult problem lies in sovereign states’reluctance to easily concede their rights to the multilateral trade system,and the deep-seated root must be attributed to the fundamental social background of the co-existence of accelerative globalization and sovereign states’own benefits.Because of the complex and diverse goals of RTAs,the conflicts between WTO and RTAs generally fall into the concept of"programmatic conflicts".Therefore,it is apparently"regulation"but virtually"coordination"to perfect the WTO normative discipline on RTAs.If we strictly regard RTAs as an exception of the MFN principle of WTO and excessively place an emphasis on the WTO’s regulation of RTAs,we are blind to the reality of the world economy and exaggerating the ability of WTO.The fact that both governance modes of multilateralism and minilateralism will co-exist in national foreign polices is not exceptive in the international trade arena,so it is appropriate and practical for WTO to implement a strategy of moderate regulation towards RTAs.