Keeping rising Asia at a distance: Canadian attitudes toward trade agreements with Asian countries
| Autor: | Nathan W. Allen |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis. 70:286-308 |
| ISSN: | 2052-465X 0020-7020 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0020702015573522 |
| Popis: | Most Canadians do not want Ottawa to adjust its policies to encourage trade and investment from Asia. Their reluctance to engage is not necessarily due to a lack of experience in dealing with Asia or a misperception of economic opportunities. Canadian exports to Asia have more than doubled since 2000 and many Canadians recognize the growing economic importance of Asian countries. Yet Canadians are willing to offer reciprocal economic agreements to traditional (typically European) trading partners, but not to Asian ones. In a world where the centre of gravity is shifting toward Asia, a substantial portion of the Canadian public is content to prioritize trade deals with the European Union (EU) and place economic agreements with countries like China on the backburner.1A few data points help illustrate this argument. In 2013, 45 percent of Canadians rated China as a country of "high importance" to their economic prosperity, while 42 percent rated the EU the same way.2 Although China and the EU were viewed as roughly equivalent in terms of economic importance, support for strengthening trade relations varied markedly: 67 percent of Canadians expressed support for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU, whereas only 42 percent supported a similar deal with China.3 These results are not simply attributable to Sino-skepticism; Canadians are also reluctant to deepen engagement with other significant Asian economies. In 2013, 28 percent of Canadians considered India of "high importance" to prosperity, but support for an FTA stood at only 44 percent. Contrast this with opinions about Brazil: although only 17 percent of respondents found Brazil to be of "high importance" to Canadian prosperity, support for an FTA with Brazil reached 54 percent. In short, support for strengthening economic relations varies significantly across countries, even when comparing across similar levels of development.Why are Canadians enthusiastic about entering trade agreements with European partners, but hesitant to enter agreements with Asian partners? Why do they prefer FTAs with some countries but not others? Do the factors that dampen support for trade agreements with Asian countries also affect opinions toward trade agreements with other non-Asian countries? This paper explores the foundations of Canadian public opinion toward Asia. To determine why trade opinions vary across countries, I develop and test hypotheses using data from a nationwide poll commissioned by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada).The results strongly suggest that non-economic factors affect Canadians' support for trade agreements with Asia and go a long way toward explaining the gap in trade support outlined above. At the individual level, political rights and security concerns play a significant role in shaping support for FTAs. Many Canadians prefer to strengthen economic ties with democratic countries that have strong human rights records. Since they perceive key Asian (and some non-Asian) partners as non-democratic, they do not support FTAs with them, even while they are willing to sign such agreements with the EU. Similarly, those who are worried that foreign control of the economy threatens national security and those who prefer ties with traditional allies are likely to support trade with the EU but not with Asian and other non-Asian emerging economies. Concerns about wages and labour standards also correlate with a "trade support gap," while socio-cultural and environmental considerations play less of a role in shaping differences in trade opinions across countries.Why do trade opinions matter?The size and growth trajectories of Asian economies make them increasingly important to Canada's prosperity, offering considerable opportunities for trade and investment.4 China, for instance, is now Canada's second-largest trading partner. As several major reports have noted, Canada's future economic well-being will be significantly affected by its ability to compete in the fast-developing economies of Asia. … |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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