Guide to investment and trade in the forest products sectors of Southeast Asia : Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines

This report profiles the industry and its prospects in the three major hardwood-producing countries in the region (Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia), each of which differs with respect to stage of wood industry development and investment climate. The countries" forest management policies, timber resources, and the status of their wood-based processing industries are reviewed first (these issues are analyzed separately for West and East Malysia), followed by an overview of the business environment in each country, the latter covering policies toward foreign investment (including the increasingly important investments from other less developed countries), investment licensing and regulation, taxation, exporting/importing regulations, and policies governing currency and capital controls. Next, other issues affecting the marketing and trade of forest products in the region - product quality and standards, shipping and transportation services, trade barriers, customs regulations, and export financing - are analyzed and recommendations for improving them are made. Includes a 5-page list of references and a short annotated bibliography.