By Daniel H. Rosen and Jacob Kirkegaard

The evolving relationship between the private sector and government is of great importance to the Asia Business Council. We believe it is critical to benchmark the current relationship between business and government in terms of policymaking with the aim of ascertaining whether the status quo warrants change. To achieve this goal, the council studied the influence of the private sector in setting trade policy vis-à-vis World Trade Organization negotiations across a number of Asian countries, Europe, and the United States.

This study provides Council members with an important window into the way companies influence trade policy in Asia. The review does not imply that the Asia Business Council will take positions on trade issues. In this instance, trade was used as a tool to understand how the private sector engages with governments.