防衛措施為WTO會員履行多邊貿易協定之例外規範，在使用範圍、時機、期間、及程度上均需符合一定條件，依GATT第XIX條與WTO防衛協定之規範，會員採行該措施之時機，僅限於防止或補救嚴重損害或促進產業調整之必要程度，並應選擇達成該目標之最適當方法。各國採用防衛措施時，大致上均遵循WTO架構之規範，繼而衍生出一般性防衛措施或特殊產業之特別防衛措施；同時，由於GATT第XXIV條並未明確禁止RTA下設置防衛條款，故各會員應可考量彼此間之貿易依存關係，而採取多元模式處理區域（雙邊）之防衛措施條款。在理論與實踐上，本文對於防衛措施之實證研究範圍，涵蓋WTO及RTA等不同層面之議題，聚焦於防衛措施之法理與規範內涵，並進一步以法律實證研究方法，比較分析我國重要貿易夥伴對外簽署之RTA下相關防衛措施之內容，並於文末對於防衛措施條款之實證觀察與分析提供法律與政策性建議。

Safeguard measure is an exception of multilateral legal system and leaves the limited space for the application of WTO members. Pursuant to GATT article XIX as well as Agreement on Safeguard, safeguard measures are defined as emergency actions with respect to increased imports of particular products, where such imports have caused or threaten to cause serious injury to the importing Members' domestic industry. Most WTO members follow the rules of WTO Agreement on Safeguard, and establish general and specific import relif measures. Since the exceptions under GATT article XXIV: 8 seems not prohibit safeguards under RTAs, WTO members can design diversity arrangements on safeguard measures when signing the RTAs with consideration of their trade interdependence. Thus, both in theory and practice, the empirical legal research on safeguard measures in this article, contents the issues of applications of WTO and RTAs under different levels. This article focuses on the legal structure of safeguard measure, and further examines Taiwan's important trading partners, reviewing their safeguard measures clause under various RTAs. The conclusion of this article also provides the legal and political suggestions for future trade negotiation.