ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to review the state of the regulatory environment for logistics services providers (LSPs) in various dimensions in the ASEAN+6 economies and explore the relationship between regulatory restrictiveness and logistics sector performance. It also discusses the treatment of logistics services in multilateral and regional trade agreements, particularly in the set of free trade agreements (FTAs) concluded by ASEAN. Many of ASEAN countries recent improvements in the regulations and procedures affecting logistics have been in the customs aspect. Logistics services are critical to the efficient operation of supply chains, especially in the context of flourishing production networks in East Asia. The Logistics Restrictiveness Index (LRI) can be analysed further to examine the link between the logistics regulatory environment and logistics sector performance. The LRIs had shown that large differences existed in the logistics regulatory environment of ASEAN+6 economies in 2008, and there was clear evidence of discrimination against foreign LSPs.
