After joining the WTO, China began to implement a Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) strategy. While WTO membership provided China with the best global market access, RTA can serve as both a market access strategy and a foreign policy strategy.

Agriculture is at the core of nearly all Asian economies and this vital book examines the effect of the China-ASEAN FTA Early Harvest Program. Regional trade between China and ASEAN is examined from a Chinese perspective and also from the perspectives of major members of ASEAN. It explores how regional trade has allowed greater market access, increased competitiveness and discusses the benefits and the problems for those involved. This book draws upon the expertise of analysts from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Indonesia as well as China.

In recent years China with ASEAN has emerged as one of the most powerful regional trading regions after the EU and NAFTA. This book is useful in exploring how this relationship has developed. The dynamism of this relationship has implications for the whole of East Asia. Much is written about China but it is also useful to examine China in a regional context.