区域自由贸易协定与中国的处境和政策选择——法律、经济与大国贸易战略

Regional Trade Agreements and China’s Policy Choices in Global Regionalism——The Law,Economy and the Strategy of Trade Power

以双边和复边贸易协定为表象的区域经济合作与一体化已经成为当代国际经济关系的主流形式之一。这种区域主义已经对以WTO为统领的多边主义提出了严重挑战,也要求各个贸易国家必须作出适当的选择,即在多大程度上应该去适应区域主义的发展。鉴于此,本文试图探讨国际贸易中的多边主义与双边主义的关系,以及中国面临的境遇和应该作出的战略性政策反应。本文认为,在制定和实施适当的政策前,中国作为贸易大国需要明确这种关系中的一些基本普遍问题和中国自身面对的特殊环境。本文首先梳理关于区域主义的种种概念和模式,其次揭示各贸易大国参与区域主义的动因,并在经济、组织和法律上澄清区域主义和多边主义的关系,在此基础上对中国如何基于国家的长期经济利益和地缘政治利益参与区域主义提出政策建议。

Regional economic integration and cooperation(loosely called"trade regionalism"),embodied in various bilateral and regional trade agreements,is rising into the mainstream of international economic relations.Presenting enormous challenges to the multilateral trading system,trade regionalism has also required proper responses from trading nations.In this context,this paper discusses the relationship between multilateralism and regionalism in international trade,and China’s strategic responses based on the situations it now faces.The paper argues that,before appropriate policies are designed and implemented,China as a trade power should understand certain fundamental aspects of this multilateralism-regionalism relationship,as well the particular situation in which it lives.This paper firstly examines the various conceptual definitions of trade regionalism,followed by a discussion on the political and economic motivations of major trading nations in their pursuit of regionalism.It further describes,with a critical view,the challenges posed by regionalism to the multilateral trade regime,including the political,economic,legal and systemic issues.On this basis,the paper puts forward several policy recommendations,which suggest China to maintain a delicate balance between pursuing regional economic integration for China’s long-term economic interest and geopolitical interest and promoting global trade liberalization.