Expansion of Trade and FDI in Asia: Strategic and Policy Challenges

Foreign direct investment flows have increased dramatically in recent decades and continue to be a driving factor of economic globalisation. As a growth pole in the world economy, large parts of Asia have particularly become an attractive place for market-seeking FDI. In a high number of Asian countries FDI restrictions have been reduced, leading to accelerated technological exchange and globally integrated production and marketing networks. Overall, this has positively benefited the emerging countries that have opened their doors to FDI.

Expansion of Trade and FDI in Asia explores the trends of present FDI in Asia and their effects on multilateral regulation of FDI. It reviews the increasing attraction of FDI and the rise of Asian transnational corporations (TNCs) from an economic perspective. It also investigates the legal side of the development, in particular the changes in bilateral and regional FDI regulation, and the lessons that could be learned for International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and the constitution of trading blocs.

This book will be of interest to postgraduates and academics interested in Asian studies, Asian economics and international economics.

Julien Chaisse is Alternate Leader at the World Trade Institute, Bern, Switzerland. He coordinates the project research on investment international rules within the NCCR (National Center of Competence in Research). He is Associate Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He is the co-editor of Essays on the Future of the World Trade Organization ( 2008).

Philippe Gugler holds the Chair of Economic and Social Policy at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Fribourg. He is Director of the Centre for Competitiveness at the same University.Professor Gugler is Project-leader on investment policies within the NCCR (National Center of Competence in Research) International Trade located at the World Trade Institute.