The Doha Declaration on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health is a strong political statement, which further confirms the interpretative value of TRIPS. According to Paragraph 4 of the Doha Declaration, Members can...

Rules on digital trade are rapidly taking shape as countries in Asia-Pacific and beyond strive to secure the benefits associated with e-commerce and the digitalization of trade in goods and services. At the multilateral level, the WTO holds promise to reach a plurilateral agreement on core...

With the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, the pyramidal design of the international trading system placed multilateralism at the top of the pyramid, regionalism/bilateralism in the middle, and the domestic trade and economic policies of WTO Member States at the bottom of...

From 1948 to 1994, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Secretariat received 124 indications of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) relating to the trade in goods, and since the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, more than 240 additional RTAs (covering trade in...

While some commentators credit bilateral and regional free trade agreements (RTAs) for increasing regional trade and per capita GDP in Asia, this chapter contends that the role of RTAs in expanding regional trade in Asia has been overstated and exaggerated. Put simply, this chapter demonstrates...

What kind of technical assistance and capacity building benefits do developing countries enjoy if they sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with developed countries? This is a frequently asked question among developing country officials involved in FTA policymaking. While we tend to normatively...

Many countries in the East Asian and Pacific (EAP) region have strengthened their networks of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and other international investment agreements (IIAs). This growth in investment protection instruments not only illustrates the region's continued attractiveness to...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a regional free trade agreement (FTA) initiated by the United States (US) and is presently being negotiated among 11 countries. With the Philippines negotiating in many fronts at the global scene, such as its engagement in the ASEAN Economic Community and...