Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Authors: Hal Hill, ANU, and Maria Monica Wihardja, CSIS and UI
An international election process arguably more complex than the recent deliberations in the Vatican is about to get underway.
Over the next few weeks, the 159 ambassadors to the WTO in Geneva will assemble to elect a new director-general for the period 2013–17, starting 1 September 2013. Read more…
Author: Barry Desker, RSIS
The recent proliferation of regional FTAs is good news for the parties involved.
But FTAs cannot be substitutes for a global solution in world trade. Read more…
Author: Arvind Subramanian, PIIE and CGD
Trade with India represents a big prize for the United States because of the size and strength of the Indian economy, but there are still challenges for US companies doing business in India.
The United States can address these challenges by adopting a multi-pronged strategy for solving trade conflicts and maximising the underlying potential of the bilateral trade relationship. Read more…
Author: Richard Baldwin, Graduate Institute, Geneva and University of Oxford
The cross-border flows of goods, investment, services, know-how and people associated with international production networks — call it ‘supply chain trade’ for short — has transformed the world. But the WTO has not kept pace. Read more…
Author: Philippa Dee, ANU
The G20’s role in trade reform is to deal with systemic issues that are not well handled by the WTO under a ‘business as usual’ approach. So the forum must deal with the current danger: if the WTO is allowed to muddle through, the existing trade rules that have underpinned globalisation and growth for decades could unravel. Read more…
Author: Andrew Elek, ANU
Only five years after its excellent start, the G20 is still trying to define its role and its ambition.
Although the agenda is already too wide, some huge threats to the prospects for inclusive and sustainable development remain unattended. Read more…
Author: Arvind Subramanian, PIIE
The list of candidates to succeed Pascal Lamy as director-general of the WTO has just been finalised.
Astonishingly, not one of the nine aspirants is from the world’s four biggest trading entities — the United States, Europe, Japan or China — even though together they account for more than 55 per cent of global merchandise exports. Read more…
Author: Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University
Under regional FTAs like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), far fewer countries are involved compared to multilateral trade negotiations like the Doha Round.
The potential trade-offs in negotiations are more manageable and participant states may be more likely to make offers and examine concessions. Read more…
Author: Maria Monica Wihardja, CSIS, Jakarta
Indonesia can play a crucial role at next year’s G20 summit in St Petersburg — partly because it faces many of the same challenges as the host country.
Author: Luke Nottage, University of Sydney
Finalising the Australia–Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has important benefits for both countries. The two countries have had a strong trade and investment relationship for over 50 years.
Author: Matthew Rimmer, ANU
As of December 2012, Australia will be the first country in the world where tobacco products will be sold in olive plain packaging without branding.
There has been much discussion as to whether this pioneering initiative will spark an ‘Olive Revolution’ around the world Read more…
Author: Yiping Huang, Peking University and ANU
For years, China has been one of the world’s largest recipient countries of foreign direct investment (FDI).
In 2010, however, its outward direct investment (ODI) reached an unprecedented US$68 billion and China became the world’s fifth-largest overseas investor. Read more…
Author: Luke Nottage, University of Sydney
The High Court of Australia on Wednesday rejected the argument by major tobacco companies that Australia’s plain packaging legislation is an unconstitutional ‘acquisition’ of their rights.
But the ongoing arbitration claim of ‘expropriation’ that Philip Morris Asia initiated under the 1993 Hong Kong–Australia bilateral investment treaty should not feed into a blanket rejection of any forms of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) in investment treaties.
Author: Nabeel A. Mancheri, NIAS
On 20 June 2012 the Chinese government’s chief administrative authority, the State Council, published its first official white paper on rare earth elements. China is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of rare earths, controlling 97 per cent of global supplies.
The white paper reveals a number of government policy measures for the Chinese rare earth industry. Read more…
Author: Jeff Bennet, ANU
It is a well-established fact that trade makes the people involved better off, as willing buyers and sellers come together with the goal of improving their well-being.
Yet the process of trade — particularly international trade — is increasingly challenged by environmental interests. Read more…