This journal's objective is to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience, ideas, information and data on all aspects of economic and social development issues and concerns facing the region and aims to stimulate policy debate and assist in the formulation of policy. The development experience in the Asian and the Pacific region has stood out as an extraordinary example of what can be achieved when policymakers, experts, scholars and people at large harness their creativity, knowledge and foresight. The Journal provides a scholarly means for bringing together research work by eminent social scientists and development practitioners from the region and beyond for use by a variety of stakeholders. It aims to stimulate policy debate and assist in the formulation of policy in the region.

Many companies that have become household names have avoided billions in taxes by 'parking' their valuable intellectual property (IP) assets in holding companies located in tax-favored jurisdictions. In the United States, for example, many domestic companies have moved their IP to tax-favored states such as Delaware or Nevada, while multinational companies have done the same by setting up foreign subsidiaries in Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In this illuminating work, tax scholar Jeffrey A. Maine teams up with IP expert Xuan-Thao Nguyen to explain how the use of these IP holding companies has become economically unjustified and socially unacceptable, and how numerous calls for change have been made. This book should be read by anyone interested in how corporations - including Gore-Tex, Victoria's Secret, Sherwin-Williams, Toys-R-Us, Apple, Microsoft, and Uber - have avoided tax liability with IP holding companies and how different constituencies are working to stop them.

Gas transit is network-dependent and it cannot be established without the existence of pipeline infrastructure in the territory of a transit state or the ability to access this infrastructure. Nevertheless, at an inter-regional level, there are no sufficient pipeline networks allowing gas to travel freely from a supplier to the most lucrative markets. The existing networks are often operated by either private or state-controlled vertically integrated monopolies who are often reluctant to release unused pipeline capacity to their potential competitors. These obstacles to gas transit can diminish the gains from trade for states endowed with natural gas resources, including developing landlocked countries, as well as undermine WTO Members' energy security and their attempts at sustainable development. This book explains how the WTO could play a more prominent role in the international regulation of gas transit and promote the development of an international gas market.

China, the most populous country in the world, has developed an e-commerce system that is in many ways distinct from the system established in Europe and North America. Understanding the difference is essential for the smooth development of this new channel of distribution, namely e-commerce. Chinese e-commerce platforms are very good examples on how to exploit development in technology, not only to create value for the operators but also contribute to structural changes in the Chinese economy, boosting internal consumption. The success of Alibaba is unique because of the characteristic of the Chinese market and consumers. Their imminent IPO, at or exceeding the offer value of Facebook, will attract more attention to e-commerce in China as a new method to establish a presence in this market. Chinese companies, e-commerce or not, are eager to expand their presence abroad, and they will adopt a more aggressive approach to participate more in the EU through acquisitions.

The interrelation of products, the human body, and the environment presents a fundamental challenge to the international trade regulatory system. In an ever more integrated global market, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other increasingly prevalent methods of processing food and pharmaceuticals give rise not only to trade issues, but also to health, safety, and security concerns. Product-related cross-border issues such as the spread of disease, the use of riskrelevant substances or components, and safety-related construction issues are increasingly on the agenda for governments and international organizations. A promising response to this challenge - presented in this book - is offered by a harmonization of the multiplicity of rules, standards, guidelines, and recommendations that characterizes the current system of international trade regulation.

There are many challenges in doing business in the People's Republic, particularly in the areas of trade and customs, but they are not insurmountable problems given the practical guidance reflected in Quick Reference to the Trade and Customs Law of China. Quick Reference to the Trade and Customs Law of China is the perfect resource for busy professionals seeking to manage PRC-related import-export risk, reduce costs and increase efficiency. This highly accessible reference distills the problem-solving process by anticipating the relevant challenges and providing reliable help.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Export Enforcement arm of BIS protects U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic interests by educating parties to export transactions on how to improve export compliance practices, interdicting illegal exports, investigating violations, and prosecuting violators of export control laws. At the same time, Export Enforcement works to avoid impeding legitimate trade. Export Enforcement has federal law enforcement authority and its special agents work with BIS licensing officials and policy staff to deter the export of items which, in the hands of unreliable users, can prove damaging to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. This book provides an overview of the regulations of the BIS on export control. Based on the GAO's extensive body of work on the export control system, this book also focuses on export licensing inefficiencies, poor interagency co-ordination and limits in State's and Commerce's ability to provide a sound basis for changes to the system. A number of recommendations to address these problems are included as well. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

The impact of United States jurisprudence on air carrier liability involving international air transportation has been so great over many decades that it is not unreasonable to conceive of that body of jurisprudence as the principal source for the interpretation and application of the uniform rules relating to air carrier liability in the international transportation by air of passengers, baggage and cargo, as envisioned by the original drafters of the Warsaw Convention of 1929. Hence, an in-depth analysis of this body of jurisprudence, such as is presented in this indispensable book, constitutes, for all practical purposes, the preeminent treatise on international air transportation liability - all the more so, in that the drafters of the 1999 Montreal Convention (MC99) were determined not to erode in any way this established body of Warsaw Convention jurisprudence when interpreting and applying the 1999 successor instrument, MC99. George Tompkins, a leading authority with world wide recognition on the interpretation and application of international private air law agreements, - and himself among the drafters of MC99 - here lays out the rich fruit of his vast personal experience in handling cases and controversies in the Courts of the United States involving the application of the liability rules of the Warsaw Convention and now MC99. The resulting publication is an essential legal guide for determining and resolving claims governed by one or more of the international law instruments that comprise the Warsaw Liability System, which consists of the 1929 Warsaw Convention, the 1955 Hague Protocol, the 1961 Guadalajara Convention, the 1975 Montreal Protocol No. 4 and various intercarrier agreements (applicable only to claims involving passenger death or bodily injury governed by the Warsaw Convention) all now superseded and governed by MC99. Among the multitude of topics covered in depth, users of this book will find the following: ‒ When the liability rules of MC99 or one of the predecessor Warsaw Liability System instruments is applicable to a claim; ‒ What triggers liability under the applicable instrument; ‒ Who can make a claim against the air carrier; ‒ Who can file a legal action for damages; ‒ Where the action must be brought--Jurisdiction; ‒ When the action must be brought-Limitations period; ‒ What law applies in determining the recoverable damages; ‒ Limitations on recoverable damages; ‒ The accepted definitions of key terms in the Convention Rules, such as carrierA", accidentA", bodily injuryA", operations of embarking disembarkingA", destinationA"; ‒ The treatment of mental injury claims; ‒ Liability for delay; ‒ Defenses available to the carrier; ‒ Willful misconduct of the carrier. The author explains the required particulars for establishing the liability of the air carrier in detail under a wide variety of circumstances, and clearly defines all terms - especially such contentious terms as 'willful misconduct,' 'accident', 'bodily injury', 'embarking', 'disembarking' 'destination' - as their applicability varies under successive conventions and protocols as interpreted and applied in years of court decisions. As a thorough summary and critique of the interpretation and application of the 70-year body of Warsaw Convention jurisprudence, this unmatched publication provides a convenient one-volume basis for the development of a body of MC99 jurisprudence. It also is an incomparable practical guide for the use and benefit of everyone involved in the practice or study of international private air law, including lawyers, airline in-house counsel, international aviation organizations, aviation liability insurers and re-insurers, aviation insurance brokers, aviation-related departments of national governments, judges, law clerks, students and teachers.

The distribution of profits between corporations resident in different jurisdictions gives rise to significant tax planning opportunities for multinational enterprises. As cross-border transactions between corporations grow in number and complexity, the question of how a profit distribution is classified for corporate income tax purposes becomes increasingly important, particularly in the context of issues such as double taxation, non-taxation and tax neutrality. This unique and practical work covers the rules determining which transactions may be classified and therefore taxed as dividend income and how classification conflicts may be resolved. The author examines the classification of various inter-corporate transactions, including: * Payments made under dividend-stripping arrangements. * Fictitious profit distributions. * Economic benefits in the context of transfer pricing. * Returns on debt-equity hybrids. * Interest payments in thin capitalization situations and distributions following liquidation. The analysis of each transaction refers to international tax law. Most weight is given to tax treaties and EU tax law. The approaches adopted in different states' national tax law are covered by a more general analysis. The comprehensive coverage and practical nature of The International Tax Law Concept of Dividend make it an essential acquisition for tax practitioners, researchers and tax libraries worldwide.

Due to the fact that no attempt to create uniform law for multimodal carriage has as yet met with success, transport law has no adequate means to create certainty as to the legal consequences of any loss, damage or delay of cargo resulting from multimodal carriage contracts. A fragmented, complex and inconsistent liability patchwork - which involves regional, subregional and national laws usually focused on unimodal transport, supplemented by contractual standard rules created by the industry - serves as an international liability framework. The consequence of this state of affairs is that the applicable liability rules vary greatly from case to case and give rise to uncertainty concerning the extent of a multimodal carrier's liability in a given situation. Indeed, according to a 2003 UNCTAD survey, most parties involved in the transport industry do not consider the existing legal framework for multimodal transportation to be satisfactory or even cost-effective. Now, progressing through an in-depth analysis of the exact nature of the international multimodal carriage contract, this important study assesses how the most advantageous law applicable to a multimodal contract may be uncovered. Using the ideas, legislation and case law on multimodal carriage in the legal systems of Germany, The Netherlands and England to anchor her presentation, the author offers a thorough investigation of the existing framework of carriage law, the applicable rules of private international law, and the options provided by choice of law based on contractual conditions. In the course of the analysis all essential issues are scrutinized, including the following: ‒ whether the modes of transport to be used may be left open by the contract; ‒ time bars on protest and litigation and when they commence; ‒ carriage documentation; ‒ liability of the carrier for subcontractors; ‒ planning for 'friction costs'; ‒ rules on jurisdiction and the resulting forum shopping practice; ‒ instances where conventions overlap, or when no existing carriage regime applies; ‒ damage or loss that occurs at the point where one unimodal regime ends and another begins; ‒ damage or loss brought about by multiple causes; and ‒ rights and obligations attached to delivery. No comparable treatise exists on which rules may govern international multimodal contracts for the carriage of goods and under what conditions they will do so, and this book is thus an indispensable asset to the work of any practitioner or official connected with international transport. In addition, the author presents a detailed review of the various drafts and propositions that have been on offer in recent years, and submits a well-thought-out proposal for a set of multimodal transport rules to alleviate the difficulties that currently plague this area of carriage law.