區域貿易與防衛協定之適用問題，因GATT第24條、第19條及防衛協定欠缺明確規定而有待釐清。本文旨在處理區域貿易協定(regional trade agreement，以下簡稱RTA)成員如何適用防衛措施以符合WTO規定之議題。主要問題包括：RTA成員得否於區域貿易內相互實施防衛措施、實施「全球性防衛措施」得否排除RTA成員以及RTA「雙邊防衛措施」得否為防衛協定之例外等。 本文第貳節將對RTA普遍既存之防衛措施條款概況予以分析。第參節繼而討論RTA與防衛措施間之基本爭議。第肆節則就WTO防衛措施爭端案件，包括Argentina-Footwear, US-Wheat Gluten, US-Line Pipe及US-Steel Safeguards等案進行分析。本文並於第伍節對相關爭點提出整體之評析意見。 依本文之見，在符合GATT第24.8條「絕大多數貿易」要件下，不宜禁止RTA成員間實施防衛措施。又WTO爭端裁決創設之「平行要件」要防衛協定不歧視原則之適用具有潛在衝突，相關問題應予釐清。此外，為解決「排除RTA成員」適用於全球性防衛措施之根本問題，GATT第24條在一定要件下應被視為防衛協定之例外。在此方面，亦宜建立雙邊防衛措施的合法性。本文並於第陸節提出對我國政府執行及訂定防衛措施條款之逼議，包括宜考量區域經貿利益、法律風險及對第三國不利競爭效果等因素，以代結論。

Issues with respect to the application of regional trade and the Agreement on Safeguards remain to be clarified, given the lack of clear guidelines in GATT Article 24, Article 19 and the Agreement on Safe-guards. The aim of this paper is to identify how WTO members that are also members of regioinal trade agreements (hereafter RTA) should apply safeguards in line with WTO rules. The essential questions that this paper tries to address include whether RTA members could apply safeguards for each other within intra-trade, whether RTA members may be allowed to be excluded from the application of global safeguard measures, as well as whether bilateral safeguard measures applied specifically for intra-trade are exceptions to the Agreement on Safeguards. In section two, the general overview of existing safeguard provisions prevalent in the RTA will be addressed by examining various RTA provisions. Section three will present and discuss controversial issues emerging from the RTA and Safeguards. Then in section four, disputed cases involving WTO jurisprudence under the Agreement on Safeguards, including Argentina-Footwear, US-Wheat Gluten, US-Line Pipe and US-Steel Safeguards, will be analyzed. The auhor will provide her comments and views on relevant issues raised in this paper in section five. In the author’s view, RTA members should not be prohibited from applying intra-trade safeguards in fulfillment of the requirment of “substantially all trade” under GATT Article 24. With respect to the application of “parallelism” created by the WTO dispute rulings and the non-discrimination principle required under the Agreement on Safeguards, the possible conflicts existing between these two requirements also need further elucidation. In addition, it is the author’s view that, under proper conditions GATT Article 24 should be regarded as an exception to the Agreement on Safeguards for the purpose of resolving the root problem of the exclusion of RTA members from the application of global safeguards. The legitimacy of bilateral safeguard measures also needs to be established in this regard. In the final section, recommendations for the government will be elaborated, suggesting, inter alia, intra-trade interests, associated legal risks as well as the negative effects of competition on third countries should be taken into account when implementing or gegotiating RTA safeguard provisions.