Scale, technique and composition effects in the Mexican agricultural sector: the influence of NAFTA and the institutional environment

More than a decade after NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) entered into force, the environmental effects of agricultural trade liberalization in Mexico are still controversial, emerging, and not fully understood. This paper contributes to the literature that aims to explore trends in input use in the agricultural sector in Mexico during the post-NAFTA period among both commercial/industrial and traditional/rainfed farmers, and examines the influence of the national and multilateral institutional framework on these outcomes. We decompose the post-NAFTA agricultural production data into scale, technique and composition effects to estimate the impact that trade liberalization has had on the use of fertilizer and land use, two key agricultural inputs for which reliable aggregate data is available. We conclude that among commercial farmers patterns of crop type specialization and significant technological improvements have led to some declines in fertilizer use but they have been offset by growth in fertilizer use associated with growing agricultural output. Among traditional farmers increased output and specialization in land-intensive grain crops are contributing to an increase in land under cultivation and technological improvements show the potential, but not yet not the strength, to counteract these effects. We analyse the environmental institutional framework and rural development plans, observing that institutional weaknesses have, in several instances, reduced the environmental benefit of technique and composition effects. We conclude with recommendations about how the Mexican agricultural sector might reap the environmental benefits of international agricultural trade.     

A study of NAFTA： Establishing a better dispute resolution mechanism under CEPA

Dispute resolution under CEPA is regulated in Chapter 19-Institution Arrangement, but only consists of one sentence. The flaws are explored in the performance of this new agreement. Dispute resolution under NAFTA includes more than four dispute resolution procedures, which include numerous details and various institutions. It is considered as one of the best dispute resolution mechanism. The successful experience and the lessons learned will help CEPA establish a fair, efficient, and suitable disnute resolution mechanism     

NAFTA本田汽车原产地规则案再探——兼论对中国区域合作的启示

北美自由贸易区在本田汽车原产地认定方面,强调了在像汽车这种由很多重要部件和次要部件经常在多数国家中组装而成的产品原产地问题的重要性。本田案件提出的根本问题在计算中如何衡量非本土材料在组件的本地含量,加工成本是否可以囊括在当地含量之内,进而通过重新定义的净成本方法解决该问题。该案对中国区域合作中海关在原产地认定方面也具有...     

地区经济合作:理论、现状和我国对策--兼论中国-东盟自由贸易区

由于世界贸易的壁垒正在不断降低 ,当前的经济一体化组织主要受益于资源的优化配置效应 ,因此 ,其排他性正在减弱。欧盟和北美自由贸易区的成功合作表明 ,地区经济一体化合作有利于参加这一合作所有成员国的共同繁荣。中国———东盟自由贸易区将加快所有成员国经济的发展 ,推动多极世界的形成。最后 ,文章提出了创建中国———东盟自由贸易区的若干建议。     

论CEPA争端解决机制的构建

CEPA是中国内地与中国香港、澳门特别行政区之间的更紧密经贸安排协议。CEPA的顺利实施对中国两岸三地自由贸易区的建立具有重大意义。但是CEPA在争端解决方面的规定不完善,现成的机制难以解决CEPA争端,所以应当构建一套争端解决机制。一方面应选择合适的解决争端方式,如协商、司法、仲裁、WTO专家组等;另一方面可以借鉴其他争端解决机制的成功经验。NAFTA的成功经验和在实施过程中暴露的不足,值得CEPA借鉴与充实。     

环境管制与投资保护的法律冲突与协调

晚近以来，随着经济发展而不断提高的投资保护水平，成为了投资者对抗东道国公共管理权的利器，以致环境管制与投资保护之冲突时常见诸报端，并有愈演愈烈之势，东道国往往须就其环境管制行为向外国投资者支付巨额补偿，这引发了普遍忧虑。我们通过以环境管制引起的国际投资争议为焦点，拟从NAFTA条文本身和仲裁实践两个角度探究其处理环境管制与投资保护冲突的经验和教训，考察现有框架并预测未来规范之发展趋势，提出可行建议以资我国借鉴。     

Trade and the environment in North America

Environmental assessments of trade agreements remain in its infancy, and demonstrate that trade in itself will not green our economies. By examining various aspects of the environmental effects of trade in North America, this special issue not only contributes to deepening our understanding of the key issues in the trade and environment debate, but also helps to formulate mutually supportive trade and environmental policies.     

The “Trump Factor” and the Changing Face of Globalization

The victory of Donald Trump’s administration not only meant a change in domestic socioeconomic policy, but also in the sphere of U.S. foreign ties; it has had a strong influence on the development trend of the world economy and trade. Taking the path of protectionism and confrontation with key trade and economic partners in Latin America, Asia, and Europe, Washington has attempted to break the status quo and transform the existing character of the globalization process. The “Trump factor” has become a key element in the formation of a new global order.     

论区域贸易协定对多边贸易体制的冲击和影响——以NAFTA为例

在国际贸易领域,区域贸易协定与多边贸易体制共存,它们对立又统一,在目前的复杂的国际贸易形势下相互影响又互为补充,缺一不可。尤其是近年来,在WTO谈判面临困难的情况下,区域贸易协定发展迅速,一定程度上弥补了多边贸易体制的不足,但同时也对其产生了冲击。     

竞争政策区域合作机制探析

Regional economic cooperation and multilateral cooperation of competition policies are regarded as two of the most important topics in international communities, both of which have a very close relationship, i.e., the former is an important path to the latter, and the latter is usually a critical topic of the former. Among the existing regional cooperation mechanism of competition policies are the three most typical modes, i.e., APEC’s open cooperation, NAFTA’s procedural law cooperation and EU’s substantive law cooperation. While taking initiatives to participate in multilateral cooperation of competition policies, China shall grasp the situation of current multilateral cooperation of competition policies, and follow the orderliness of its development, i.e., a step-by-step process of cooperation from nonbinding to binding, from domestic law to international law, and from fundamental to procedural law and to substantive law. Qi Tong, Ph.D, was once a visiting scholar in the Amsterdam Center of International Law (ACIL) (2006–2007). Now, he is an associate professor at the Department of International Economic Law of Wuhan University. His research interests focus on international trade law, international investment law, international financial law, international competition policy. His main publications include Regulatory constraint on transnational mergers & acquisitions (2006), Antitrust legislation on foreign M&A investments: Analysis on the antitrust rules in the Interim Provisions for Foreign Investors to Merge Domestic Enterprises (2004), Evolution of the pluralistic market regulation mechanism and its legislation (2005), On the positive comity of international antitrust cooperation (2005), International regulation mechanism and the new views of international economic law (2005), A legal perspective on the development of loan securitization in China (2006), A review on the case of Chinese measures affecting financial information services and foreign financial information supplier (2008).