Event

With the impasse in the WTO's Doha Round, the rapid proliferation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in the Asia-Pacific has had a profound influence on legal systems and geopolitics in the region.  This talk provides an overview of FTAs from the perspectives of the WTO and international law that governs the free flow of goods, services, investments and dispute settlement.  It explains how the US “Pivot to Asia” has impacted the Korea-US FTA, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.  It also analyzes the rise of China and the resulting political implications for trade policy toward Taiwan, Singapore and the ASEAN Economic Community.

Pasha L. Hsieh is Assistant Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University School of Law. He holds J.D. and LL.M. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.  Prior to joining academia, he served as a Legal Affairs Officer at the Appellate Body Secretariat of the World Trade Organization and as an associate at Shearman & Sterling. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Asian Law, Center for East Asian Studies, and Center for the study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania.