The first Western-language research monograph detailing significant developments in consumer law and policy across Southeast Asia. Eight chapters examine consumer law topics within ASEAN member states such as product safety and consumer contracts as well as financial and health services, plus the interface with competition law.

This book looks at the consumer protection offered in a range of Asian countries, for example China, Japan, and South Korea in key areas such as consumer sales law, unfair terms, product liability, and unfair commercial practices. However, it is interesting to note that consumer protection is on the rise everywhere and to compare how this differs depending upon the legal cultures. It is also fascinating to reflect on the influence of models for law reform such as the EU laws. ASEAN has also affected the development of consumer policy for its member states. The book takes the form of national reports which explain the development of the law and also shed light on how the law works in practice. The book also contains thematic reports which look at each area of the law from a comparative perspective. Commentators from around the globe reflect on their impression of Asian consumer law based on their own differing legal systems and benchmarks. A must-read for anyone with an interest in consumer law in Asia and beyond, this book will form the basis of further research and discussion internationally.

On 28 July 2008, the ASEAN Studies Centre and the Regional Economic Studies Programme, both of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung organized a roundtable on The ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. The brainstorming session gathered Southeast Asian experts from the region to discuss the AEC Blueprint, which ASEANs leaders had adopted at their summit meeting in November 2007, and the prospects of any obstacles to its implementation by the target year, 2015. The roundtable started with a progress report on the AEC Blueprint given by S. Pushpanathan, Principal Director of Economic Integration and Finance, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta. Thereafter, the sessions examined the various aspects of the Blueprint tackling the non-tariff barriers, designing a comprehensive ASEAN Investment Agreement, a regional framework for competition policy, the role of infrastructure development in economic integration, the importance of international production networks in economic integration, etc.

Data flows are the backbone of today’s diversified value and supply chains. In this timely book, a prominent specialist in transnational commercial and private law explores a developing and evolving area of law related to the role of the digital economy in international trade, making a direct call for the need to internationalise the law regulating transnational data flows. Examining the commonalities and divergences in data flow regulation among ten key jurisdictions – Australia, Indonesia, India, Canada, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union – the book covers such issues and topics as the following: reconciling data free flow with trust; managing the increase in data vulnerability; efforts to prohibit trade in personal data within an interconnected digital economy; obstacles to data flows and digital economic development; cybersecurity; FinTech and TechFins; cross-border insolvency; dispute resolution; and data-digital diplomacy. The author compares several bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, addressing the data-related shortcomings of these instruments and providing a pathway forward. In addition, two case studies are presented of high-profile judicial and regulatory decisions demonstrating the challenges of data flows and their governance. The author cogently demonstrates how an international legal mechanism such as a convention, treaty, or model law could provide greater certainty for data, as well as help to foster economic growth and create jobs and business opportunities. Practitioners and policymakers concerned with data security and privacy will greatly appreciate this book’s important and valuable contribution to a crucial area of law that bodes well to enhance the economic and social well-being of all.

International Arbitration Law Library Volume 59 The eastward shift in international dispute resolution has already involved initiatives not only to improve support for international commercial arbitration (ICA) and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) but also to develop alternatives such as international commercial courts and mediation. Focusing on these initiatives and their accompanying case law and trends in the Asia-Pacific region, this invaluable book challenges existing procedures and frameworks for cross-border dispute resolution in both commercial and treaty arbitration. Specially assembled for this project, an outstanding team of experienced and insightful arbitrators and scholars describes pertinent developments including: ICA and ISDS in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative; the Singapore Convention on Mediation; the shift to virtual hearings and other challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic; mistrust of the application of the rule of law in certain East Asian jurisdictions; growing public concern over ISDS arbitration; tensions between confidentiality and transparency; and potential regional harmonisation of the public policy exception to arbitral enforcement. The contributors chart evolving practices and high-profile cases to make informed observations about where changes are needed, as well as educated guesses about the chances of reforms being successful and the consequences if they are not. The main jurisdictions covered are China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, India, Australia and Singapore. The first in-depth study of recent trends in dispute resolution practice related to business in the Asia-Pacific region, the book’s practical analysis of new resources for dealing with the increasing competition among countries to become credible regional dispute resolution hubs will prove to be of great value to specialists in the international business law sector. Lawyers will be enabled to make informed decisions on which venue and dispute resolution methods are the most suitable for any specific dispute in the region, and policymakers will confidently assess emerging trends in international dispute resolution policy development and treaty-making.