The Rise of Regional Economic Cooperation and Global Rule Reconstruction

Abstract

On November 20, 2012, the leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries and China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand officially launched Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations at a series of meetings of East Asian leaders held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On June 17, 2013, the Group of Eight (G8) Summit, also known as the “rich men's club”, was held in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. On the same day, US President Barack Obama, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the official launch of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Earlier on March 15 in the same year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced at a press conference that Japan would join the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. On July 25, Japan sent a large delegation of about 100 people to participate in the 18th round of TPP negotiations held in Malaysia. Another heavyweight had joined the ranks of TPP. To date, the establishment of “three pillars” of global FTA — the RCEP, TTIP and TPP — is almost pattern shaped.