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The Expansion of AFTA: Widening and Deepening?
Author(s) -
Me Jayant
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
asian‐pacific economic literature
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.232
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1467-8411
pISSN - 0818-9935
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8411.t01-1-00038
Subject(s) - international free trade agreement , international trade , economic integration , regionalism (politics) , economic geography , international economics , economics , political science , business , politics , law , democracy
Regional trading arrangements (RTAs) have recently tended to both widen and deepen . This paper examines the impact of widening and assesses progress with deepening in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). Widening of AFTA has seen its membership grow from six to nine countries (and perhaps ten in 1998). Widening has increased AFTA's diversity, with the emergence of a two‐tier structure of developed and under‐developed segments. An AFTA‐Plus program is designed to deepen regional integration. Apart from harmonising customs procedures and tariff nomenclature, and fast‐tracking a common customs valuation method, progress has been limited.