An Analysis of FTA-Centered South Korea-Australia Economic Relations

Abstract

進入21 世紀以來，影響國際關係的五大主要變數為國際關係經貿化、世界經濟區塊化、中國崛起、中美兩強競合與南北國家經濟競合。在此背景下，南韓總統李明博（Lee Myung-bak）在2009 年3 月訪問印尼時發表「新亞洲外交構想」（New Asia Initiative , 簡稱NAI）。李明博表示全球經濟中心正移向亞洲，但南韓以往過份集中於強化與美中日俄四強的關係，而未與亞洲國家大膽推進外交活動。他強調亞洲時代即將來臨使南韓有必要擴大與澳洲、紐西蘭和東盟等泛亞洲地區國家加強合作，其主要目的是為今後南韓在國際社會扮演能代表亞洲各國利益的區域主要國家的角色鋪路，並提升南韓的國際地位與影響力。本文主旨即在從李明博政府外交戰略的角度檢視南韓與澳洲經貿關係，首先是當前國際關係五大特徵與韓澳的政經互動，尤其是澳洲對李明博政府的特殊意義、澳洲在李明博政府外交戰略中所扮演的角色與功能，其次為韓澳雙邊自由貿易協定（FTA）談判現況。另一方面，澳洲的回應則是另一項兩國關係能否大幅改善以及李明博政府外交能否成功的關鍵。因此，本文亦將論及澳洲工黨政府2007年上臺以來陸克文（Kevin Rudd）政府與吉拉德（Julia Gillard）政府的對南韓FTA 政策以及亞洲經濟整合的策略，終而剖析兩國FTA 談判未來展望。

Australia and South Korea inaugurated FTA negotiations in June 2009. After almost five years of talks, the two countries struck a free-trade deal in December 2013. The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) negotiations began with the Australian Labor Party Government under Kevin Rudd and did not conclude until the Liberal Party Government of Tony Abbott. This paper explores Australia-South Korea FTA negotiations under the premise that the converging foreign policy orientations focusing on Asian regionalism under Australian Labor Party Governments and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak brought about the inauguration of their bilateral FTA negotiations. It begins by examining each country’s approach to rising China and the acceleration of Asian economic integration. It then highlights their perceptions of each other and their economic interactions, identifies their converging national interests, goals and regional diplomatic demarches, and finally explores the driving forces that brought about the conclusion of the trade deal, the prospects for Australia-South Korea economic relations under the FTA, and the implications of the deal for each state and for economic integration in Asia.