Encouraging news from UNESCAP as we head in to 2022 - Foreign Direct Investment Trends and Outlook in Asia and the Pacific 2021/2022 HEADLINES • The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the collapse of global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, which fell 42 per cent from US$1.5 trillion in 2019 to an estimated U$$859 billion in 2020. The most recent data for 2021, however, suggests global FDI flows have already started to rebound, having reached US$852 billion in the fir

CREDENTIALS - KW Group Asia: FDI, Trade Innovation & Digitalisation Consulting & Events Since 2010 Did you know that by 2030 65% of the worlds middle-class consumers will be found in Asia and it is forecast that ASEAN will become the world’s fourth-largest economy with a roughly $4 trillion USD consumer market? "ASEAN is poised to become a dramatic consumption opportunity, driven by four mega-forces: strong demographic trends; rising income levels; geopolitical shifts increas

Dubai Trade, the UAE Region’s single window platform for cross-border trade, has launched ZADI, a unified food import platform aimed at facilitating the import and re-export of food shipments throughout Dubai’s ports, according to DP World. In a statement, DP World described the platform as the “first-of-its-kind” in the Middle East. It will be part of Dubai Trade’s drive to be the leading integrated platform in all import and re-export services. Additionally, it will also al

Over the past few months, Customs authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean have had to work hard and think outside the box in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tons of personal protective equipment, including masks, gowns, medical devices, medicines, and disinfectant products, as well as food and other necessities, have passed through these agencies. Those shipments had to be prioritized and dispatched quickly and safely, without neglecting the regular flows of trade.

Recommendations by GTDW Speaker Ziyang Fan Head of Digital Trade, World Economic Forum & Mike Gallaher The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and services, which have kept trade flowing even as movement has been restricted. This has highlighted the need to modernize trade rules and reverse the trend of digital protectionism. Modernizing digital trade rules will advance digital trade and create more jobs, human connections and creativity in

ABU DHABI, Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, yesterday (May 9), inaugurated the Single Window of Logistics & Trade in Abu Dhabi during a visit to Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, Kizad, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports. Sheikh Khalid was briefed on development plans in presence of Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport,

Enabling cross-border paperless trade, or the flow and legal recognition of trade-related data and documents in electronic form across borders, has the potential to cut transaction costs by 25% across Asia and the Pacific. Benefits associated with digitalizing trade procedures also include increased regulatory compliance, reduced illicit financial flows and more effective and inclusive participation in the digital global economy. If those benefits were not enough in themselve

Timely article and solutions by Tradelens at a crucial time for #tradetech and #digitalisation The bill of lading is believed to be the most important transport document in international trade: a mainstay of the global supply chain that’s present from origin to destination and critical to customs clearance, financing and ownership of cargo. But for as much as shipping has changed over the decades, not much about the bill of lading (BL) has. Today, it’s pretty much the same of

HONG KONG — April 7, 2020 — CargoSmart Limited, a leading shipment management technology solutions provider, announced that it conducted a pilot project with COSCO SHIPPING LINES (COSCO), Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), and Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) for a new application to transform the cargo release process. It is among the first pilot projects with an ocean carrier conducting a real-time exchange of shipment data with a terminal operator through blockchain. The pilot n

In line with the government’s thrust of enhancing #customsprocedures towards efficient and world-class #tradefaciliation the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) - Philippines Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), during its meeting last March 6, 2020, has approved the Philippine #customsmodernization Project of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and recommended for its final approval by the NEDA Board chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte. The #PhilippineModernizat

CEO Chong Yoke Ching said SealNet is keen to become a leader in the facilitation of cross-border trade by making the process easier and faster, and also to provide end-to-end visibility, while ensuring the safety and security of digital transactions via its cloud-based online portal, SealNet, which was launched in August last year. About 500 customers are currently utilising the SealNet platform and the number is expected to double this year. Chong said a mobile version of th

GTDW China Trade Development Week 2020 is CONFIRMED to take place 16-18 June, Shanghai Pudong. Co-hosted with APMEN Operational Center, Partnered with Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment & Quality Brands Protection Committee, China (QBPC). PROGRAM ENGLISH: http://bit.ly/37mxOOI PROGRAM MANDARIN: http://bit.ly/37cFLG5 EXHIBITION & PARTNERSHIPS As this is a free to attend event for delegates from Customs & Tax Authorities, Ministries of Trade/Economy/Finance, IP, Police

With the recent launch of Tech neutral Track and Trace Standards for The Global Container Shipping Industry we are excited to welcome back Thomas Bagge, CEO, Digital Container Shipping Association @DCSA_org returning as a Keynote Speaker and Institutional Partner at GTDW China Trade Development Week, 16-18 June, Shanghai Pudong. Get the latest on how trade will benefit from an agnostic technology neutral approach to open standards for a common technology foundation that enabl

Sharing the recent article by Zach Tomlinson, Tradelens on a topic that resonates with the content of GTDW China Trade Development Week around this year's theme of 'Digitalization, Standardization & Interoperability of Trade Technologies' What is a 3PL? Third-party logistics (3PL) providers vary as widely as the industries and customer bases they serve. They can be bulk-scale freight forwarders, private couriers, fulfillment services, and many others. But what they have in co

Angola will join the Single Window for Foreign Trade (SWFT) platform starting on 31 March, thus bringing forward its accession to this electronic platform, which aims to facilitate the movement of goods across borders, said on Thursday in Luanda the chief of operations of the Ministry of Trade, Augusta Fortes. The accession of Angola to the SWFT was planned for 2021. This multi-sector tool will align the ministries of trade, finance (through the General Tax Administration),

Delighted to share details by our partners at ICC, under the leadership of John Denton, outlining new digital initiatives for global trade. We look forward to ICC and many of the technologies and players involved in these initiatives joining us for the 19th Global Trade Development Week China Forum & Technologies Expo, 16-18 June, Shanghai Pudong, under the theme: Digitalisation, Standardisation & Interoperability of Trade Technologies As part of ICC’s Declaration for the Nex

Africa heads into a historic year in which the long-awaited African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) finally becomes a reality, with trading under the scheme scheduled to begin on 1 July. The largest free trade zone to come into being since the launch of the World Trade Organisation in 1995, the AfCFTA is a bold venture, especially on a continent where intra-African trade is languishing at about 18% of total trade. And the political will behind it is unprecedented for a

Welcome back to the new year and a new decade for The 4th GTDW Anti Illicit Trade, Brand & IPR Protection Conference + GTDW Trade Facilitation, Compliance & Digitalisation Conference & Exhibition our biggest edition to date returns to Shanghai Pudong, China from 16-18 June, presented in English & Mandarin as part of the 19th Edition of Global Trade Development Week. Theme: Digitalization, Standardization & Interoperability of Technologies. 800 International delegates, 80 Spea

Saudi and Bahraini Customs have signed in Riyadh an agreement of mutual recognition of the Authorized Economic Operator Program (AEO). The agreement aims to enhance the security of the supply chain and the advantages of trade facilitation offered by the AEO. The agreement was signed on the Saudi side by Governor of the General Customs Authority Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Haqbani and on the Bahraini side by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, president of Bahrain Customs. Al-Haqba

Ethiopia Launches Electronic Customs Processing Platform For Traders The Government of Ethiopia launches an electronic platform that will enhance efficiency in trade logistics landscape of the country by speeding the customs process for importers and exporters. Labelled, Ethiopia Electronic Single Window Service, is launched on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed. It is said will reduce the 44 days hectic long paper work process for importers and exporte