The paper provides a background for services trade negotiations with Japan. It summarizes various discussions on international trade in services, the challenge of further services trade liberalization, and the rise of regional trade agreements. It discusses the different modalities of services...

Historically, the economic relations between the Philippines and Japan have been shaped by factors leading to the movements of goods, capital and people. Lately, the interspatial transfer of people has been defined by the asymmetric needs of each country. Considering the demographic changes in...

The paper is an industry study of the audiovisual services sector, specially the film and television industry in the Philippines. It discusses the importance of the sector in the economy and employment, its strengths and weaknesses, regulations that affect it, and the competitive forces that...

The concept of like services and service suppliers used in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is still very much uncharted territory. The few dispute cases involving national treatment and most-favoured-nation treatment claims under the GATS are vague concerning the criteria which...

The United States of America is the top trading partner of the Philippines and also the top destination of highly skilled and professional Filipino workers. This paper explores the possibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) that covers the asymmetries of the two countries in labor, services and...

The paper examines the policies pursued by the Philippines in response to the increasing economic integration and interdependence of nations and regions around the world, focusing in particular on the country's multi-track approach to trade and investment liberalization. The country's experience...

The world trading environment has witnessed the proliferation of regional trading arrangements during the last decade. This development was accompanied by the perceived threat that this may bring to the rules-based multilateral trading system. The ASEAN for one have not only reaffirmed their...

The government has implemented substantial trade and investment policy reforms during the last two decades following a three-track approach involving unilateral, regional and multilateral modalities towards freer trade and investment. The reforms resulted to improvements in domestic resource...

Trade with nontraditional and distant markets has always been regarded as worth exploring in an effort to increase market shares amidst the downside effects of globalization and regional trade cooperation. While globalization processes paved the way for increased competition and opening up of...

The design of rules of origin (ROO) in preferential trade agreements is critical because to the extent that it determines which products are eligible for trade preferences, it influences the magnitude of economic benefits arising from a free trade area (FTA) and who gets them. The challenge in...