ABSTRACT
The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed a dramatic rise of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) at the beginning of the 21st century. This shift away from the previous focus on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum could have potentially dramatic effects on trading patterns of countries in the trans-Pacific region. This book has considered the evolution of such bilateral trade agreements with an eye to understanding their origins, possible proliferation and expansion, as well as their impact on broad-based multilateral trade accords.
