By Amy Killian When Laos joined the World Trade Organization in October 2012, many applauded. The move was expected not only to integrate the long-isolated country into the global economy, but into global political norms and rule of law as…
WTO
APEC: Continuity & Evolution
by cogitASIA Staff • • 1 Comment
By Monica Whaley Enough with the ‘clever’ jibes about silly shirts or acronym fatigue. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a robust, reliable and flexible “multi-tool” in the United States’ foreign and economic policy toolkit that has served U.S. interests effectively…
Indonesia’s Natural Resource Investment Climate
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
By Jeremiah O. Magpile Indonesia’s uncoordinated management of its natural resource sector and a climate of legal uncertainty is damaging government-investor relations in the mining sector, which contributes roughly 12 percent to Indonesia’s GDP. Natural resource investment is also a…
Australia: Finding the Economic Challenge
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
By Alastair Furnival With the Australian election now announced for September 14, Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be hoping the bad news is done in the first week: an ex-government member of parliament placed on 149 charges of misusing trade…
The Leaderboard: Mari Pangestu
by cogitASIA Staff • • 1 Comment
Who is she? Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu is Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy minister, and previously served for seven years as trade minister, a post from which she took a strong stance in support of free trade. In her current…
By the Numbers: ASEAN Trade Is Booming
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
The WTO recently released its 2012 International Trade Statistics covering global trade for 2011.These numbers confirm what we’ve already been thinking: ASEAN is booming. Not only is ASEAN back to the pre-crisis levels of 2007 and 2008, it has far…
The Leaderboard: Souvanpheng Bouphanouvong
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
Who is she? Dr. Souvanpheng Bouphanouvong is a representative from Vientiane in the Lao National Assembly, and serves as president of the Economics, Planning, and Finance Committee. Elected in 2000, Souvanpheng was first appointed to a leading role in the…
Laos’s WTO Membership Will Help Bolster Rule of Law
by cogitASIA Staff • • 2 Comments
By Alexandra Sander The World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council, which includes representatives from all member governments, formally approved Laos’s membership at its October 26 meeting. Laos first applied for WTO membership in 1997 and, 15 years later, will be…