IP 11 International Conference
18 January 2008, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Bangkok
Foreign direct investment (FDI) 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 acce lerated 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 FDI in Asia and Implications for the Regulation of International Investment” is a one day international conference exploring the trends of recent FDI in Asia and their effects on multilateral regulation of FDI. The first part of the conference will review the increasing attraction of FDI and the rise of Asian transnational corporations (TNCs) from an economic perspective. The second part of the conference will look into 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.
A book entitled "Expansion
of FDI in Emerging Asia: Strategic and Policy challenges" has been edited by Philippe Gugler and Julien Chaisse and has been released by Routledge, Contemporary Asia Series [more informations here].
2008 Conference Presentations are available for download in the links below. The Second 'Investment and Trade in Asia' conference will take place on the 8th and 9th
January,
2009 in Bangkok. The 2009 conference, designated 'regional meeting' of the Asian Society of International Law, will be on 'Competitiveness of ASEAN Countries'.
Conference Details
8.30 – 9.00
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Welcoming remarks by Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, President of NIDA and Philippe Gugler, WTI/NCCR-IP 11
Keynote Speaker: Narongchai Akrasanee, Former Minister of Commerce, and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of Thailand, Chairman of MFC Asset Management Public Company Limited
The New Driving Forces of Asia FDI
| 9.00 - 10.30 |
Session 1 – The Rise of MNEs from Asia: Emerging countries becoming investors abroad
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Andrew Delios, Head Business School, National University of Singapore
The Globalization of Firms from India
Jun Xiao, Institute of International Law, Wuhan University The Chinese BITs in 21st Century: Protecting Chinese Investments Asian MNCs: Strategy, Sectoral Recomposition, Competition
Chair: Philippe Gugler, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Fribourg and WTI/NCCR-IP 11 Leader
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10.30 – 11.00
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Coffee Break
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11.00 - 12.30
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Session 2 – The changing nature of domestic regulation affecting Trade and Investments in Asia
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Bunluasak Pussarungsri, Executive Vice-President, Research Office, Bank ThaiImpact of the Change in Politico-economic Environment on Legal Framework, Economic Policy and FDI in Thailand Jianqiang Nie, Institute of International Law, Wuhan UniversityPromoting the Chinese Investments abroad: a legal perspectiveMarinus Sikkel, UN ESCAP, Investment and Enterprise Division, Bangkok How to Maximize the Benefits of FDI for Developing Host Countries Through CSR
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12.30 – 14.00
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Lunch
Guest speaker: Satit Chanjavanakul, Secretary General, Board of Investment Thailand (BOI)
Foreign Direct Investment: The Role of the Thailand’s Board of Investment
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14.00 – 15.30
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Session 3 – Asia Regional economic integration agreements and FDI
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Jayant Menon, Asian Development Bank, Principal economist, Manilla
Dealing with the Noodle Bowl Effect in Asia: Consolidation, Multilateralization or Something Else?
Darryl Jarvis, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
ASEAN Investment Provisions: Pogress, Regress and Stumbling BlocksSébastien Miroudot, OECD, Trade and Agriculture Directorate, ParisEconomic Impact of Investment Provisions in Asian RTAs
Chair: Guy Faure, Director, Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-Est Contemporaine (IRASEC), Bangkok
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15.30 – 16.00
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Coffee break
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16.00 - 17.30
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Session 4 – Asian Interest in Multilateral Rules on Trade and Investment : a new Paradigm?
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Karl Sauvant, Columbia University, New YorkWhat’s Next in International Investment Law and Policy? [web]Julien Chaisse, World Trade Institute and Debashis Chakraborty, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New DelhiLinking Trade and Investment at the Multilateral Level: an Indian Perspective and [NCCR Working Paper] Peter Malanczuk, Peking University's, School of Transnational Law, Shenzhen: On the the Variety of Venues and Procedures for the Settlement of International Investment Disputes - Some Critical Reflections [web]Chang fa Lo, Director, WTO Law Center, National Taiwan University Conditions and Ways of Putting 'Investment' back to the WTO Negotiation Agenda: Establishing a Linkage between BIA and WTO
Chair: Aekkachai Nittayagasetwat, Dean School of Business Administration, NIDA
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17.30 – 18.00
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General discussion
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18.00
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Closing remarks by Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, President of NIDA and Philippe Gugler, WTI/NCCR-IP 11
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| | | Additional Evening Session: FDI and Telecommunication Sector | | 20.00-22.00 | Choochart Promphrasid, Chairman of The Thai National Telecommunications Commission
FDI and Telecommunications
Sudharma Yoonaidharma, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
Reforms of Telecommunications Regulation in Thailand
Chair : Aekkachai Nittayagasetwat, Dean School of Business Administration, NIDA
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The conference was organized by
- World Trade Institute – NCCR Project (IP11), Bern, Switzerland
- Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Business Administration, NIDA, Bangkok, Thailand
- School of Development Economics, NIDA, Bangkok, Thailand
- The National Telecommunications Commission, Thailand
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