International Trade

Co-Chairs

Vice-Chairs

International Trade is an area to which lawyers everywhere must pay increasing attention. With the advent of the WTO regime in particular, free trade and globalisation have become important issues in any cross-border business context. In many respects, official and unofficial trade barriers remain in place in various countries. Yet it is becoming ever more important for the business lawyer, like the policymaker, to appreciate not only the status quo, but also the changes that loom in the fast evolving world order.

This is especially so in the Asia-Pacific region, whose countries continue to emerge as among the most important players in the international economy. In this dynamic region, especially trade regulation raises a host of concerns: fair competition, anti-dumping issues, transfer pricing and foreign investment restrictions, to name a few.

Along with the economic changes in this region, new issues are emerging with the growth of the Internet and "cyberspace" commerce. For lawyers involved, to any extent, in the cross-border movement of goods and services, the challenge is to keep track of rapid developments in multiple jurisdictions, involving complex and overlapping concerns.

The purpose of the International Trade Committee is to serve as a forum for sharing thought and information on trade regulations and practices in each of the countries in our region. Recently the Committee has held sessions on the following topics: "International Trade in Cyberspace", "Intellectual Property Rights in the Context of Competition Law", "Regulation of E-Commerce in Asia Pacific" and "Opportunities for Practicing Attorneys in Anti-Dumping Disputes".

In the future, the Committee will continue to promote an open discourse on the law and policy of international trade, as a further resource for Association members in serving their clients.

Inter-Pacific Bar Association Addresses Privacy and Data Protection Issues in Asia:
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