日本实施FTA战略的进展和挑战

20世纪90年代末,日本对外贸易政策发生了重大转变。日本政府在1999年发表的《通商白皮书》中首次提出了要在坚持多边主义立场的同时,与其他国家或地区签定自由贸易协定(FTA)或与亚洲大多数国家签定经济伙伴协定(EPA)。日本实施FTA战略在经济上的主要原因是日本看到了美国欧盟都在积极开展区域合作,感到自己有被边缘化的危险,政治上的原因是要抵消中国的影响。目前日本正在实施与新加坡和墨西哥的FTA,同时又正在与马来西亚、菲律宾、泰国、印度尼西亚和韩国进行FTA谈判,并考虑与澳大利亚、越南、瑞士和海湾合作委员会六国进行FTA谈判。日本实施FTA战略对国内农业政策和人员流动政策提出了挑战,在国际上对美国尤其是中国提出了挑战。本文通过对日本实施 FTA战略进展作出较为全面的概述,使我们更加感到中国实施FTA战略的必要性和急迫性。

Progress and Challenge of Japanese FTA Strategy

In the 1990s, there is a major change in Japan's foreign trade policy. In 1999, Japanese government issued the white paper of its trade relations which announced for the first time that Japan seeks free trade agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements ( EPAs) with most Asian countries while sticking to the multilateralism . The economic reasons are its concerns about the rise of regional cooperation in America and Europe and worries that it will be marginalized. The political reason is to offset the rising influence of China. At present, Japan has finished and is implementing FTA with Singapore and Mexico. It is negotiating the FTA with Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Republic of Korea. To negotiate FTA with Australia, Vietnam, Switzerland, and Gulf Corporation Council is under consideration. Japanese FTA strategy challenges its policies on agriculture and population shifting at home and has some impacts upon the U. S. and China. This paper reviews the progress of Japanese FTA strategy and calls for the necessity and urgency for China's FTA strategy.