Summary of the Presentations and Discussions at the International Symposium on:

COMPETITIVE REGIONALISM
Organizer

GIARI International Symposium

Title

Competitive Regionalism

Presenters and Discussants Satoshi AMAKO (Waseda University), Saori N. KATADA(University of Southern California), Gregory NOBLE(University of Tokyo), Junji NAKAGAWA (University ofTokyo), Akira KOTERA (University of Tokyo), Mike
MOCHIZUKI (George Washington University), Jimbo
KEN (Keio University), Shujiro URATA (WasedaUniversity), Masahiro KAWAI (Asian Development BankInstitute), Cintia QUILICONI (University of Southern
California),Carol WISE (University of SouthernCalifornia), Noriyuki MITA (Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry), Mireya SOLIS (American University),
Yorizumi WATANABE (Keio University), Jian YANG
(University of Auckland), Long KE (Fujitsu ResearchCenter), Takashi TERADA (Waseda University), Susumu
YAMAKAGE(UniversityofTokyo),
Barbara
STALLINGS(BrownUniversity),
Neantro
SAAVEDRA-RIVANO (University of Tsukuba), Aldo
FLORES-QUIROGA (Claremont Graduate University),
Keiichi TSUNEKAWA (University of Tokyo), Min Gyo
KOO (Yonsei University), Yukiko FUKAGAWA (WasedaUniversity)
Date

May 30th and 31st 2008

Location

Ibuka International Conference Hall, Waseda University,Tokyo

Participants

In

total

about

50

participants

including

HatsueSHINOHARA (Waseda University), Tsuneo AKAHA(visiting Professor at Waseda University), Masato
KAMIKUBO (Research Fellow GIARI), Kaoko
TAKAHASHI (Research Associate GIARI) and GIARI
Research Assistants (PhD Candidates Waseda University)

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May 30thOpening Remarks:
Professor Satoshi AMAKO, Dean of the Graduate School of Asia of Asia-PacificStudies and Leader of the Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration GIARI atWaseda University welcomes the participants.
Session 1: Thematic Dynamics chaired by Shujiro URATA‘Competitive Regionalism: Explaining the Diffusion and Implications of FTAs inthe World Economy’
Presenter: Saori N. KATADA introduces the project’s framework paper she co-authoredwith Mireya SOLIS. It endeavors to explain the surge of newly concluded Free-Trade
Agreements worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific region in particular. The project shalltherefore look at the motivations behind the this FTA frenzy and subsequently evaluate
the impact of FTAs on other trade agreements such as the WTO and regional trade
blocs.
Discussant: Gregory NOBLE points to the complexity of motivations and actors behindthe conclusion of FTAs, especially when looking at the concrete economic benefits ofFTAs which in many cases seem to be rather limited.
‘Competitive Regionalism in East Asia: Legal Context’
Presenter: Junji NAKAGAWA in his paper examines the question whether and how thelegal competition in the form of FTAs and other international economic rule-making
contributes to regional integration.
Discussant: Akira KOTERA highlights the different purposes of FTAs, EPAs
respectively, which in the Japanese context often serve as a tool for international
economic cooperation and less for legal protection and therefore rather complement
than preempt multilateral frameworks such as the WTO’s.
‘Political-Security Competition and the FTA Movement: Motivations andConsequences’
Presenter: Mike MOCHIZUKI explores the influence of political-security motivations
on the strategies for the pursuit of FTAs.
Discussant: Jimbo KEN suggests looking at the relevance of political-security
motivations over the course of different phases of processes in negotiating andconcluding FTAs.

2/5‘Competitive Regionalism in East Asia: An Economic Analysis’
Presenter: Shujiro URATA in his economic analysis of FTAs comes to the conclusionthat East Asian countries pursued FTAs largely in order to overcome discriminations
which resulted from FTAs and various frameworks previously concluded by third partystates.
Discussant: Masahiro KAWAI adds thoughts about the relevance of intra-regional tradeand FDI-flows and makes an outlook on an East Asian FTA.
May 31stSession 2: FTA Powers: The United States, Japan and China chaired by Saori N.
KATADA‘The U.S. as a Bilateral Player: Spreading Asymmetric FTAs’
Presenters: Cintia QUILICONI presents the paper co-authored with Carol WISE which
examines patterns in the signing of U.S. FTAs with Latin American and East Asiancountries.
Discussant: Noriyuki MITA contends that U.S. decisions to start negotiations of FTAs
on the American continent were based on competition, whereas economic motives weremore relevant in the East Asian region. He further suggests that in the course ofnegotiating, legal aspects gain more importance and often contradict political goals.
‘Japan’s Competitive FTA Strategy: Commercial Opportunity versus Political
Rivalry’
Presenter: Mireya SOLIS explores the motives behind the Japanese government’s
increased interest in the pursuit of FTAs. She comes to the conclusion that competitivediffusion explains the policy shift best. First, pressure from Japanese automobile andelectronics industries to gain access to North American and Southeast Asian markets
equally to their American and European competitors, pushed the government tonegotiate FTAs. Second, Japan’s bottom-up policy-making pattern results in
cumbersome negotiating strategies which need to reconcile conflicting interests ofinternationalized business and agriculture sectors. This has delayed FTAs with Japan’slarger trading partners. Moreover, the growing politicization of its trade policy makes
the traditional separation of politics and economics vis-à-vis China harder to maintain.
The demand of the business community for an FTA with China has gone unheeded
mainly because of strong opposition from agriculture and political relationships
Discussant: Yorizumi WATANABE explains the Japanese policy change towards the3/5

pursuit of FTAs, EPAs respectively from 2004 on. He highlights that one objective
included in the December 21 2004 governmental guidelines for the conclusion of EPAs
(FTAs) is to strengthen domestic structural reforms. He explains that Japan’s FTA
strategy does not constitute policies against China, but rather reflects economic realities.
He considers the Japanese and Chinese economies as complementing each other. Since
FTAs are an integral part of the WTO system, they do not create dilemmas in tradepolicies. It is therefore possible that Japan and China conclude an FTA in the future.
‘China’s Competitive FTA Strategy: Realism in a Liberal Slide’
Presenter: Jian YANG investigates the driving forces for China’s FTA offensive andweighs motives of liberal free-trade and realist relative gains.
Discussant: Long KE highlights the importance of domestic factors influencing theChinese strategy on FTAs.
Session 3: FTA Hubs: Singapore (ASEAN) and Chile chaired by Mike MOCHIZUKI‘Singapore and ASEAN Competitive Regionalism in Southeast Asia and Beyond’
Presenter: Takeshi TERADA’s paper explores the impetuses behind Singapore’s active
engagement in FTA negotiations by examining three competitive elements ofmotivation: Economic, security and legal.
Discussant: Susumu YAMAKAGE points to the limited influence (driver’s seat) ofASEAN on East Asian integration, economically and politically. He raises the question
about the future role of APEC.
‘Chile: A Pioneer in Trade Policy’
Presenter: Barbara STALLINGS in her paper answers the questions for the trigger, theactors and their decision-making as well as the outcomes of Chile’s aggressive
free-trade policies over the last three decades.
Discussant: Neantro SAAVEDRA-RIVANO thinks that emulation and competition asdrivers behind the proliferation of FTAs often go together and that a differentiation
between leaders and followers might be useful.
Session 4: FTA Ascendent: Mexico and South Korea chaired by Junji NAKAGAWA‘Competitive Regionalism and Mexico`s FTA Strategy’
Presenter: Saori N. KATADA summarizes the paper

authoredbyAldo

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FLORES-QUIROGA which argues that economic competition was the main driving
force behind Mexico’s FTA strategy whereas political considerations such as regionalbalancing and the competition for political influence shaped its approach as well.
Discussant: Keiichi TUSNEKAWA argues that in this project in general, domestic
factors should be taken into consideration stronger and that apart from emulation,competition and independence, more explanatory concepts could be proposed.
‘South Korea’s FTAs: Moving from an Emulative to a Competitive Strategy’
Presenter: Min Gyo KOO explains in his paper the evolving South Korean strategy topursue FTAs under the KIM and ROH administrations.
Discussant: Yukiko FUKUGAWA highlights the domestic factors which stand behindthe negotiation and the ratification of Korean FTAs. She compares the Korean approachto the Japanese.
Closing Remarks by Mireya SOLIS and Shujiro URATA

Summary by Christian WIRTH, PhD Candidate GSAPS, Research Assistant GIARI, Waseda University

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