Alisa Pomelnikova
Russian Foreign Trade Academy
Russian Federation

The article is devoted to the analysis of trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region (APR) and assessment of the prospects for the development of regional trade. In the context of the growing role of the Asia-Pacific region in the global economy, the study of trade integration mechanisms and identification of the most effective models of economic cooperation is of particular relevance. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by the systematic approach to the study of trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region, which allows identifying the most promising models of regional integration. The purpose of the research is a comprehensive study of the structure, goals and performance of the leading regional trading blocs, including the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The work indirectly used the theory of customs unions by J. Weiner with a focus on the effect of trade creation and the theory of multilevel governance in the context of supplementing global trade agreements with regional ones, which cater for deeper, but local trade relations. The study includes a comparative analysis of trade regimes, which allows identifying both common trends and significant differences in approaches to trade liberalization and stimulation of economic cooperation. Particular attention is paid to identifying factors that hinder and promote the development of intraregional trade. In addition, the research focuses on the analysis of the impact of tariff and non-tariff barriers on the development of intraregional trade. The results of the study indicate varying degrees of effectiveness of trade agreements in the Asia Pacific region. The key findings of the work include identifying the factors that determine the effectiveness of trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region and substantiating the need to formulate a trade policy that takes into account the economic characteristics of the participating countries.