Open AccessTrade Negotiations and Regional Economic Integration in the P acific I slands F orum
Author(s) -
Morgan Wesley
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
asia and the pacific policy studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.529
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 2050-2680
DOI - 10.1002/app5.34
Subject(s) - negotiation , context (archaeology) , international trade , economic integration , economics , international economics , politics , political science , business , geography , law , archaeology
When the P acific I slands F orum was established in 1971, regional economic integration was high on the policy agenda. Over the four decades since, a political commitment to regional integration has waxed and waned. This paper explores past and present prospects for economic cooperation through the lens of regional trade negotiations. Into the new millennium, P acific governments lobbied W orld T rade O rganisation ( WTO ) members to recognise their trade‐related challenges, and sought special treatment in trade negotiations with the EU and with A ustralia and N ew Z ealand. Despite these efforts, current trade negotiations among all F orum members—to extend the P acific A greement on C loser E conomic R elations ( PACER ‐Plus)—look unlikely to result in unique measures intended to help P acific states take advantage of international trade. In this context, consideration should be given to downscaling formal trade negotiations in favour of other regional trade policy initiatives.