ABSTRACT
The chapter provides an overview of the main legal structures that govern Pacific trade in the Third Regionalism. It offers insight into the evolution of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community, as well as ASEAN's external agreements with Asia-Pacific economies including China, India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. It also discusses legal and policy considerations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) based on ASEAN Plus One agreements. Furthermore, by focusing on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the chapter analyses key issues such as rules of origin, market access, electronic commerce, state-owned enterprises and currency manipulation. It is imperative to understand these critical developments of ASEAN, the CPTPP and the RCEP amid trade protectionism and the COVID-19 pandemic. © Oxford University Press 2022. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study explored the students' perception of their adoption and acceptance of virtual learning (VL), the factors affecting the adoption of educational technologies and the correlation between their intention, perceived behavioral control and care competence in caring for older adults. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Surveys were administered to evaluate the participants who were involved in VL on geriatric care during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 315 nursing students participated in the survey, and 287 valid questionnaires were collected (response rate: 91.11%). Findings: A total of 287 participants (mean age 21.09, SD 1.44 years;242/287, 84.3% female) were included in the study. The variables of intention to use technologies were positively correlated with care competence (r = 0.59, p < 0.001). The results revealed that the major predictors were perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) (β = 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16–0.40) and perceived usefulness (PU) (β = 0.22, CI 0.09–0.35) which were significantly positive predictors of competence in geriatric care. Research limitations/implications: Nursing students lack in clinical knowledge and situational experience in geriatric care;therefore, their perceptiveness, expressions and reflection on the process of providing care to hospitalized older patients should be increased. These results indicated that students improved in geriatric healthcare after/during the VL program during COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: It is hoped that the present study would make an invaluable contribution to existing research on education in general and on the quality of care in geriatric nursing as limited studies have been published so far. © 2022, Pei-Lun Hsieh, Shang-Yu Yang, Wen-Yen Lin and Tien-Chi Huang.
ABSTRACT
We live in an unprecedented time, which witnesses the rapid transformation of global trade and politics. The neoliberal legal order in the post-war era has recently encountered multifaceted threats. Rising populist nationalism, US-China tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to diverse forms of trade protectionism that has eroded the normative basis of international economic law. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and corresponding economic sanctions have further worsened the instability of the increasingly fragile supply chain and multilateral trading system. Amid these challenges, new Asian regionalism has emerged to shape and construct the new regional economic order. In response to declining hegemonic powers, developing countries in Asia have utilized their collective power to influence global rulemaking. New EU and US Indo-Pacific strategies also recognize the shift of the economic center of gravity to Asia and seek to enhance their involvement in the region. These developments not merely cement the foundation for the multipolar world, but also serve as a catalyst for trade liberalization. The core pillars of new Asian regionalism include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (hereinafter "ASEAN") and the mega-regional trade agreements including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (hereinafter "CPTPP") and the Regional
ABSTRACT
The article examines the theoretical concept of interregionalism in the context of the evolving framework between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As the EU's first free trade agreement (FTA) with an ASEAN country, the EU-Singapore FTA is a pathfinder agreement that signifies a new phase of interregionalism and the EU's new Asia strategy after the Treaty of Lisbon. The article argues that the innovative designs of the EU-Singapore FTA will shape the normative development of EU-ASEAN relations in the post-pandemic era. It also cautions that a comparative analysis of EU and US agreements reveals deficiencies in the FTA that require remedies. To buttress the contention, key provisions on ASEAN cumulative rules of origin, banking and legal services and non-tariff barriers are analysed in light of contemporary Asian agreements. The research further provides insight into the effectiveness of new-generation rules on geographical indications, competition, and investor-state arbitration and mediation. Hence, the findings contribute to the understanding of interregionalism and the EU's Asia-Pacific trade and investment agreements from global and interdisciplinary perspectives. © The Author(s), 2021.