Trade in services
Proposed Malaysia-United States Free Trade Agreement (MUFTA): implications for Malaysian economic and social development
Cost and benefits of proposed FTA
Authors:
Publisher:
Third World Network , 2007
It is generally recognised that bilateral agreements, especially between a developing and a developed country, are not the best option and that multilateral negotiations and agreements are preferable. This paper therefore deals with the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is being negotiated between Malaysia and the United States or MUFTA (Malaysia-US FTA). It begins with some general aspects of bilateral FTAs, examines issues specific to agreements with the USA, and analyses particular components of the proposal.
The potential costs and benefits for Malaysia of the proposed FTA are discussed in light of the following issues:
- trade in goods - manufacturing and agriculture
- services - including telecomms, finance, broadcasting and legal services
- investment - liberalisation and investor protection
- liberalisation of government procurement
- competition policy
- environment, biosafety and food safety
- intellectual property rights - copyright, patenting and trademarks.
