英文摘要 |
Since the 1990s, there has been a rapid proliferation in the establishment of free trade areas (FTAs) around the world. The pursuit of regional economic integration through the conclusion of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and bilateral trade pacts has been adopted by many countries as a main strategy for strengthening their economic competitiveness and attracting foreign investment. While China’s FTA strategy has focused on establishing economic partner relations with neighboring and developing countries through RTAs, Taiwan faces pressure from China to exclude it from such process. Consequently, Taiwan has to focus instead on pursuing bilateral trade partnerships within the framework of the WTO, while also using its economic and geopolitical advantages as bargaining chips for securing beneficial arrangements with the US and Japan as they strive to bolster their economic leadership in East Asia. To cope with the effects of the China factor in restricting its participation in regional integration, Taiwan’s best available course is to (1) pursue comprehensive economic liberalization; (2) seek to conclude ground-breaking FTAs with specially selected trade partners; (3) make optimum use of opportunities to develop bilateral trade partnerships under the WTO regime; (4) adopt a multi-pronged approach to forming economic alliances, including signing trade and investment agreements with important economic partners, and cooperating in non-sensitive economic areas such as trade facilitation and e-commerce interflows; and (5) place emphasis on the achievement of“all win”outcomes. |