ABSTRACT
The Chinese government’s initiative, One Belt One Road, reinventing new trade routes to the world, holds promise of opportunities for prosperity. Thailand, and much of the ASEAN region, has been invited for participation in this economic venture. The working of this initiative requires, apart from brick and mortar infrastructure, an efficient regulatory infrastructure. This chapter addresses few issues – does a unified law or perhaps a harmonious legal system need to be developed throughout the roads and the rails so as to facilitate trade flows along the Belt and the Road? Should a collective public policy be established among ASEAN Members? ASEAN’s framework on trade facilitation and the conflicting notions of public policy have been a concern for policy integration in the region. The chapter proposes to foist the importance of private international law – Thai and ASEAN perspectives – for the successful implementation. The chapter attempts to articulate a call for a starting point in reforming private international law and resolving conflict of laws among the ASEAN countries and particularly that of Thailand. In terms of exploiting the public policy mechanism of private international law, a closely collective, not a highly individualised, manner of articulation is a grand objective, but nevertheless could be pursued.
