Edmund Sim

15 posts
I am a U.S. international trade lawyer at the Singapore office of Appleton Luff and adjunct associate professor of law at National University of Singapore. There, I teach the first course developed on the law and policy of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). I have also advised the ASEAN Secretariat in an EU-funded assistance project on the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), and represented companies in dealing with the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation (AICO) scheme, Common External Preferential Tariff (CEPT) program and other ASEAN economic integration

Assessing TPP’s Impact on ASEAN

Trade ministers from 12 countries announced that they had completed negotiations for…
Airport

My own ASEAN’s connectivity issues : beyond funding and figures

The Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity and its proposals for improving linkages within the ASEAN Economic Community have been a hot topic. However, the real impact of improved ASEAN connectivity is often lost among the statistics and funding figures thrown around.
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ASEAN’s Steel Industry Strikes Back

In a move described as “unprecedented” by the Malaysia Star, the national steel associations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, e.g., the ASEAN countries with steel manufacturing, made a joint appeal to the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN member states to revisit the ASEAN-China FTA.
Asean EU

EU-Singapore FTA to be concluded

Last week the EU announced that it was on the verge of concluding its free trade agreement with Singapore.
One would think that a single market such as the ASEAN Economic Community would require harmonization of tax laws and coordination in their application, but this is not the case.

Tax harmonization and the AEC: a long way to go

One would think that a single market such as the ASEAN Economic Community would require harmonization of tax laws and coordination in their application, but this is not the case.
asean flags

ASEAN Adopts International Negotiating Procedures

Last week’s ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting of foreign ministers in Cambodia adopted “The Rule of Procedures for Conclusion of International Agreements by ASEAN” (ROP).
Singapore property market

In the Singapore Property Market, Not All Foreigners Are Equal

This week the Singapore government implemented immediate measures affecting its property market. In an effort to prevent further appreciation in property (and thereby avoid a “bubble” and its consequent “bursting”), Singapore announced that it would increase the 3% stamp duty (tax) charged on purchases of real propert
Asean summit flags

Four Incremental Steps Towards the AEC

In today’s post, we examine recent incremental steps taken by ASEAN to realize the ASEAN Economic Community. Considered separately, each step may not seem like much. However, taken as a whole, they evidence active foundation-building at various levels in ASEAN.