Trends in FTAs for Malaysia and the ASEAN Region

This course is entitled “Emerging trends in FTAs” and is a two-module course. The first module provides an overview of free trade agreements. It sets out why they are becoming an increasingly important part of any country’s trade policy toolbox and how they may influence Malaysia’s future policymaking.

Module 2, for its part, covers the latest developments in FTAs and FTA negotiations. It describes how the latest generation of FTAs that has emerged in recent years is influencing the way in which traditional “core” World Trade Organization (WTO) trade topics are treated, the coverage of additional trade topics, such as investment, not included in the original WTO Treaty, and the inclusion of broader cooperation topics within free trade agreements.

This course also addresses the relationship between trade and broader policy themes, such as the environment, competition policy and digitization of the economy, consider some of the issues that new free trade negotiations might raise for Malaysia, and identify emerging ideas which might be reflected in future free trade agreements.