From Noodle Bowl to Layered Regionalism: Policy Choices for Governing Overlapping Trade Agreements in East Asia

East Asia’s regional trade architecture is not a simple transition from ASEAN+1 agreements to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It is a layered system in which earlier comprehensive economic cooperation/partnership agreements (CEPs) continue to coexist with and shape RCEP. RCEP contributes to regional coherence by harmonising rules of origin, customs procedures, standards-related disciplines, electronic commerce, competition policy, and investment rules. However, ASEAN+1 CEPs remain policy-relevant because they provide deeper tariff concessions, partner-specific cooperation, and development-oriented mechanisms. Firms can therefore choose among agreements depending on tariff margins, rules of origin, administrative requirements, and transaction-specific needs. The central policy task is not to eliminate overlap, but to govern it more effectively by aligning selected rules, reducing unnecessary compliance costs, preserving flexibility for less-developed member states, and using CEPs as capacity-building platforms for digital, green, and inclusive regional integration.