Comments on: Asia Pacific socio-economic regional architecture: Beyond FTAs and ‘Business As Usual’ http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/01/asia-pacific-socio-economic-regional-architecture/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:50:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: Andrew Elekhttp://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/12/01/asia-pacific-socio-economic-regional-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-81785 Andrew Elek Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:38:20 +0000 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/?p=8187#comment-81785 Dear Luke, I was quite excited to read your post on “beyond FTAs” on the East Asia Forum. I have been arguing the case for complementing free trade with other important dimensions of economic integration since 1992. (American Economic Review, May 1992). I sent a paper to ABAC Australia in 2004, which points out the need to learn from the EU: to work towards a a single market in the Asia Pacific in a manner suited to this region. That was the origin of ABAC’s Trans-Pacific Business Agenda which became the Busan Business Agenda. That, in turn, picked up the need to think beyond FTAs, but was then sidetracked by Bush’s revival of the old idea of an APEC-wide trading bloc (these days called the FTAAP). The single market idea does seem to be falling on more fertile ground, as explained in my summary of the recent meetings of APEC in Singapore at: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/11/18/quiet-but-real-progress-in-apec-in-singapore/ I am currently spelling out these ideas for a paper to be delivered in two weeks in Taipei. Congratulations and thanks for your contribution. I look forward to working with you to help implement these timely ideas. Best wishes, Andrew Dear Luke,

I was quite excited to read your post on “beyond FTAs” on the East Asia Forum.
I have been arguing the case for complementing free trade with other important dimensions of economic integration since 1992. (American Economic Review, May 1992).

I sent a paper to ABAC Australia in 2004, which points out the need to learn from the EU: to work towards a a single market in the Asia Pacific in a manner suited to this region.
That was the origin of ABAC’s Trans-Pacific Business Agenda which became the Busan Business Agenda. That, in turn, picked up the need to think beyond FTAs, but was then sidetracked by Bush’s revival of the old idea of an APEC-wide trading bloc (these days called the FTAAP).

The single market idea does seem to be falling on more fertile ground, as explained in my summary of the recent meetings of APEC in Singapore at:
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/11/18/quiet-but-real-progress-in-apec-in-singapore/
I am currently spelling out these ideas for a paper to be delivered in two weeks in Taipei.

Congratulations and thanks for your contribution. I look forward to working with you to help implement these timely ideas.

Best wishes,
Andrew

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