The WTO Agreements emphasize freer trade, which links with diversity, deregulation, and decentralization. China, on the other hand, emphasizes uniformity and centralization especially regarding the political control and the one-party system of ‘democratic dictatorship'. China's joining the...

Are market access commitments on services in Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) reciprocal or simply unilateral? If reciprocal, do concessions granted in services depend on concessions received from the trading partner in other services or in non-services areas as well? In this paper we...

The number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have increased markedly over the last decade, with many addressing market openness and rule-making for services trade. Recent RTAs are breaking down existing barriers: on average, removing between 10% and 40% of services restrictions present in the...