The Regionalisation Of Competition Law And Policy Within The Asean Economic Community

Examines regional competition policy developments in South East Asia, exploring a broad range of related issues from diverse perspectives.

'This wonderful volume offers a timely and important look at competition policy where it is changing the most – developing countries pursuing regional agreements. It provides superb analytical discussions of the impact of regional competition policy integration, why developing states have pursued this strategy, and the extent to which it is meeting their needs. the editors have assembled a superb roster of experts, so it is not a surprise that the book recommendations are insightful, and deserving of attention from policy makers.' – Andrew Guzman, Berkeley Law School, US This book presents a detailed study of the interface between regional integration and competition policies of selected regional trade agreements (RTAs), and the potential of regional competition laws to help developing countries achieve their development goals. the book provides insights on the regional integration experiences in developing countries, their potential for development and the role of competition law and policy in the process. Moreover, the book emphasizes the development dimension both of regional competition policies and of competition law. This timely book delivers concrete proposals that will help to unleash the potential of regional integration and regional competition policies, and also help developing countries to fully enjoy the benefits deriving from a regional market. Bringing together analysis from well-known scholars in the developed world with practical insight from scholars in countries hoping to exploit the potential of competition law, this book will appeal to academics working in the field of competition law, practitioners, policy makers and officials from developing countries, as well as those in development organizations such as UNCTAD.

Amongst other regional organisations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stands out for the diversity of its ten Member States, stemming from their respective economic and political heritage, governance systems, legal institutions, stages of economic development, and exposure to or reliance on foreign trade and investments. As of 2017, however, the regional bloc has formalised its focus on economic integration and development of a regional competition law. Challenging this vision are the States’ very different national competition law systems, ongoing problems with governmental intervention in the economy, and lack of effective and efficient corruption-free regulatory and juridical infrastructure. This book, the first detailed analysis of competition law in the ASEAN countries, looks at the prospects of implementation for the regional law and compares the existing systems in each Member State. Opening with a thorough description of the composition and organisation of the ASEAN, the analysis proceeds to an in-depth evaluation of such aspects as the following: – persistence of the ASEAN’s traditional mode of dispute resolution, often referred to as the ASEAN Way; – economic challenges posed by intra-regional growth and globalisation; – the strong relationship between the business and government sectors; and – governmental interventions as cultural practices. There is detailed reference throughout to case law, legislation, institutional announcements, relevant treaties, and literature on both the ASEAN and competition law. As an important critical analysis of this major new regional competition law regime, this book will be welcomed by competition law practitioners, multinational corporation counsel, and jurists, officials, and academics in a variety of legal fields. Although the subject is specifically the ASEAN, the analysis contributes to a better understanding of competition law regimes in developing economies and to the more general literature on global competition law.

'This is a very timely book which provides an unprecedented analysis of the factors which have shaped the competition law systems of ten Asian countries and Australia. The comprehensive discussion from varying viewpoints against the backdrop of the significantly different environments within which the respective regimes have developed creates a framework for the comparative assessment of competition law systems elsewhere in the world.' Lutz-Christian Wolff, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 'New competition laws have been adopted throughout Asia in recent years, and some of the older laws have been significantly strengthened. This makes Asia a fascinating region in which to look at the political and economic circumstances of the countries in which such laws are to be found, and to consider the very different conditions that exist within them. This book will be an invaluable guide to anyone with an interest in the developing competition law regimes of this immensely important part of the world.' Richard Whish, King's College London, UK This detailed book describes and analyses the essential political economy features that provide the backdrop to the competition policies and competition law regimes of several of the most important Asian economies. The book also discusses the impact of these political economy influences in determining whether the adopted competition policy is effective. Each of the authors experts in their respective countries offer specific insights into the nature and structure of their competition regimes and discuss to what extent the varied political economy factors unique to that country help to determine whether and to what extent the established system promotes or hinders economic competition in that jurisdiction. Comprising wide coverage of Asian jurisdictions, including Australia, this book will strongly appeal to students and academics of law, politics, economics and economic development, policy makers in national governments, international agencies and competition authorities, as well as practicing competition lawyers and in-house counsel.

This book reviews the periodic changes in the legal policies of the late-developing ASEAN countries, often known as the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam), in their continuous path toward globalization after the collapse of the socialist bloc. The book also identifies the characteristics of the legal reforms in their present stage guided by the common framework under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) moving toward 2025. The first stage is illustrated by the ASEAN-style utilization of foreign investments as reflected in all investment laws and policies of CLMV countries in the 1990s, which featured entry control (as “sticks”) and investment incentives (as “carrots”). Those controls and incentives were the means to induce investors to assume various performance requirements to contribute to industrial policies. The second stage witnessed a shift toward enhanced liberalization as an endeavor toward the WTO accession during the 2000s, as seen in the integrated investment laws that appealed for the national treatment of foreign investors. At the same time, those investment laws emphasized the substantive provisions (e.g., fair and equitable treatment and indirect expropriation) and procedural protections (e.g., provision of Investor–State Dispute Resolution mechanisms) as an appeal for stabilization of the investment climate. The third stage of legal policy, as evidenced by the recent amendments to the investment laws, is newly focused on environmental and social considerations, which seems to be an indispensable response to the increasing social protests against the negative impacts of investment promotion. Simultaneously, the means of administrative controls over investors, established in the first stage, are uniquely utilized for the realization of new goals.

The Asian Yearbook of International Economic Law (AYIEL) 2022 addresses the rapidly evolving field of international economic law with a special focus on Asia and the Pacific. This region has long been and remains a major engine of the world economy; at the same time, it is characterized by a host of economies with varying developmental levels, economic policies and legal jurisdictions. The AYIEL 2022 especially focuses on trade law, investment law, competition law, dispute settlement, economic regulation and cooperation, and regional economic integration, as well as other legal developments in Asian countries.

The first empirical analysis of leniency programmes implemented in Asian countries to enforce the anti-cartel provisions of their competition law.