Purpose - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has evolved and is actively facilitating free and open trade. It is debated whether APEC has effectively reduced trade barriers in a preferential manner to encourage liberalized trade and whether increased trade between member countries has reduced trade with nonmember countries. Research designs, data, methodology -This paper empirically tests whether APEC creates or diverts trade, using an extended gravity model with tariff rates, exchange rates, and dummy variables to analyze how APEC affects intra-trade between members.The model utilizes the annual panel data between 1990 and 2007 of 16 selected APEC members and nonmembers. Results - Results reveal the changing role of APEC only between 2002 and 2007 has it created trade, fostering increased trade among trading partners and between members and nonmembers. Conclusion - APEC can be expected to demonstrate a stronger trade creating effect once its advanced and developing members complete tariff reductions by 2010 and 2020, respectively.
Aitken, N. (1973), "The effect of the EEC and EFTA on European trade: A temporal cross-section analysis", American Economic Review, 63, 881-892.
Anderson, J. (1979), "A theoretical foundation for the gravity equation", American Economic Review, 69, 106-115.
Bergsten, C. F. (1996), "Asia-pacific economic cooperation: Summary of the second report of the eminent persons group", In M. Dutta (Series Editor), Research in Asian Economic Studies, Vol. 7, London: JAI Press, Ltd. (p. 5).
Jugurnath, B., Stewart, M. and Brooks, R. (2007), "Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Agreements: An empirical study", Journal of Asian Economics, 18, 974-987.
Filippini, C. and Molini, V. (2003), "The determinants of East Asian trade flows: A gravity equation approach", Journal of Asian Economics, 14, 695-711.
Hassan, K. (2001), "Is SAARC a viable economic block? Evidence from gravity model", Journal of Asian Economics, 12, 263-290.
Johnson, H. G. (1960), "The economic theory of customs unions", Pakistan Economic Review, 10, 14-30.
Low, L. (2003), "Multilateralism, regionalism, bilateral and cross-regional free trade arrangements: All paved with good intentions for ASEAN?", Asian Economic Journal, 17, 65-86.
Rose, A. (2000), "One money, one market? The effects of common currencies on international trade", Economic Policy, 15, 7-46.
Soloaga, I. and Winters, L. (2001), "Regionalism in the nineties: What effect on trade?", The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 12, 1-29.
Jiang, Tingsong and Mckibbin, Warwick J.(2008), "What Does a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific mean to China", Brookings Global Economy and Development, working paper 23. http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/08_trade_china_ mckibbin.aspx