Despite setbacks at multilateral level, international rules protecting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) continue to proliferate at the regional and bilateral levels. The Asia Pacific Region offers no exception to this trend. Although rarely invoked for much of their half-century existence, investment protection agreements are now resorted to as a matter of course in the event of disputes arising between foreign businesses and their host government. As a result, their arcane provisions are being seen to have tangible and important consequences for policy makers, including in relation to the promotion of human development.