Regional trade agreements in asia

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Free Trade Agreements

With the continuous proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs) in the Asia and Pacific region, the ARIC FTA database tracks and provides a comprehensive listing of bilateral and plurilateral FTAs with at least one of ADB’s 48 regional members as signatory. It covers all agreements at all stages of development, from those under study or consultation to those in force.

FTA trends

FTA by economy

FTA by group

All FTAs

Comparative FTA toolkit

This section provides statistical tables on the status and various classifications of FTA. It lists the total number of FTAs per year and their breakdown according to status. An FTA can either be proposed, under negotiation, signed but not yet in effect, or signed and in effect. This section also provides a list of FTAs notified to the WTO and a classification of FTAs according to scope (either bilateral or plurilateral).

1. Framework Agreement signed: The parties initially negotiate the contents of a framework agreement (FA) , which serves as a framework for future negotiations.
2. Negotiations launched: The parties, through the relevant ministries, declare the official launch of negotiations or set the date for such, or start the first round of negotiations.
3. Signed but not yet in effect: Parties sign the agreement after negotiations have been completed. However, the agreement has yet to be implemented.
4. Signed and in effect: Provisions of FTA come into force, after legislative or executive ratification.

Updates are sourced from official websites of the parties.

Table 1. FTA by Status (cumulative)

Table 2. FTAs by WTO Notification and Status (cumulative)

Table 3. FTAs by Scope (cumulative)

Table 4. Bilateral FTAs by Geographic Area, WTO Notification and Status, 2000 and 2017

Table 5. Plurilateral FTAs by WTO Notification and Status, 2000 and 2017

Table 6. FTA Status by Country/Economy, 2019

Table 7. FTAs in effect with investment chapter or clause (2008-2015)

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The Asia Regional Integration Center (ARIC) is an ongoing technical assistance project of the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department. Following the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis and the contagion evident around the region, ADB was asked to use its knowledge-based expertise to help monitor the recovery and report objectively on potential vulnerabilities and policy solutions. With the ASEAN+3 process just starting, ADB provided technical assistance beginning in 1999—to create the Asia Recovery Information Center, the precursor to ARIC.

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