Publication

This article examines the planned free trade zones in Asia, including Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Regional Comprehensive ASEAN Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CJK-FTA). The author also examines the geopolitical implications of these potential free trade zones and the role Europe is playing in the negotiations of these zones. The author suggests that the EU is taking a noticeably passive stance on the region’s efforts to reshape the trade and regulatory policies even though it could be negatively effected by the implementation of the three prospective trade zones.