Trade facilitation can help protect public health while minimizing disruptions to trade as a result of COVID-19. Crowded border posts and longer truck lines lead to delays during a time when efficiency and speed are of the utmost importance to respond to the pandemic. UNCTAD urges agencies to coordinate and cooperate within and among countries to ensure that critical goods reach consumers and hospitals, in coastal and landlocked countries in particular. Border agencies are im

The EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) has published two papers calling for more progress on ASEAN’s regional economic agenda and linking a durable recovery from the pandemic to ASEAN’s Leaders, Trade and Finance Ministers putting in place specific measures to accelerate work on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The EU-ABC, which represents the interests of the European business community across Southeast Asia, cited concerns about the lack of progress on key elements of AS

We are pleased to share the latest FDI & Trade Intelligence News and Resources from across KW Group Networks & Partners - For daily updates follow us on LINKEDIN OFFICIAL MAY CHINA TRADE DATA. Analysis by John W. Miller, Chief Economic Analyst, Trade Data Monitor: Asia is really humming. Chinese exports of goods to top Asian trading partners boomed in May, suggesting that the continent is blowing past Europe and the U.S. in 2021 in the speed and scale of its recovery from the

Excellent updated resource by UNCTAD which allows you to explore National Trade Facilitation Committees on a global basis National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC) are important platforms for institutional coordination and stakeholders’ consultation with balanced private and public sector participation. They enable the planning and implementation of successful trade facilitation reforms. UNCTAD has actively participated and supported the establishment of NTFCs in developi

Discover in less than one minute the evolution of the world's main trading nations over the last 22 years! Trade has significantly expanded in the last four decades. In 1979, trade represented 36% of global GDP and by 2019 the figure had grown to 60%. This expansion came with changes in the competitive landscape of global trade, and the concomitant rise of the south. The above graphic tells part of this story. For instance, it captures the meteoric rise of China, from the per

A new treaty aims to turn the idea of cross-border paperless trade into a reality Feb 20 marks the entry into force of a new international agreement promoting paperless trade, a timely reminder of how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought digital solutions to regional development challenges into the limelight. Paperless trade across borders has proven an effective way to mitigate trade disruptions since the onset of the crisis, enabling commerce to continue while limiting physica

Prior to the pandemic, Southeast Asia had made huge advancements and was forecasted to be the fourth biggest economy by the year 2030. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in economic devastation for Asean, arguably posing the greatest challenge since the region’s formation. However, there are positive signs that Asean can make an economic recovery in 2021. “All Asean nations are involved in the Asean Single Window Live Operation, where trade and cargo flows can

UNCTAD has published its latest Global Trade Update. The good news is that world trade continued its recovery from the pandemic in the fourth quarter of 2020, and most sectors saw positive growth. The less good news is that although trade in goods rebounded by 8%, services stagnated. And while goods exports from East Asian economies grew by about 12% in Q4 (year-over-year), negative trends continued for goods exported from most other regions. The report also highlights persis

This note updates Trade facilitation and the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 with insights into the evolution of new border protocols and trade facilitation measures impacting traders since COVID-19 and exploring what more can be done to prepare for the next stages of the pandemic as uncertainty persists. It highlights the importance of transparency and availability of timely trade-related information in mapping bottlenecks and risks, as well as the importance of trade faci

Cross-border e-commerce in China is on track for growth this year despite global lockdowns that constrained shipping capacity and supply chain operations in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. China has put forward new measures in facilitating cross-border e-commerce to bolster trade, as retailers are increasingly bringing sales online to compensate for offline losses. The digital economy has been an important driver for post-pandemic trade recovery. China is holding t

The Asean Customs Transit System (ACTS) will be implemented in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ACTS enables goods to be transported by road under a single regime, regardless of which Asean member state they depart, transit and arrive at, although it is subject existing border measures imposed by respective countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. BUSINESSES can look forward to time savings, cost reduction and better connectivity in moving goods by la

The COVID-19 pandemic was a recurring theme at the meeting of the WTO’s Committee on Trade Facilitation on 20-21 October. A number of members highlighted how trade facilitation — and the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in particular — can be used to help authorities ensure that essential goods related to COVID-19 treatments and equipment can cross borders and reach their intended recipients quickly. Several members made presentations during the committee meeting rega

Promoting regional trade, investments - The World Bank (WB) has expressed interest to help the National Board of Revenue (NBR) modernise its customs procedure for promoting regional trade and investments, officials said on Tuesday. The WB has assured Bangladesh of providing assistance worth US$170 million for upgrading the cross-border and regional trade facilitation works, said an official of the Economic Relations Division (ERD). Meanwhile, the ERD, on behalf of the NBR, re

In an unprecedented first in Maldives, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has halted the USD 6.7 million (MVR 100 million) National Single Window project of the Ministry of Economic Development, as it was handed over to an ineligible contractor on suspicious grounds. Marking the first time that a major international organisation has stopped a project in Maldives, local media Mihaaru reported that ADB ordered local authorities to investigate the matter and re-open the project fo

Azevedo has claimed success on issues like a Trade Facilitation Agreement aimed to cut through delays in trade. But on his watch, the WTO also failed to conclude the Doha Development Agenda. After acting as the custodian for the 164-member inter-governmental trade organisation for the past seven years, one would think it wouldn’t be that easy to go from trying to straighten a sinking ship to working for a profit-making multinational company that produces sugary drinks. But th

Former Maersk executive Thomas Bagge has been chief executive and statutory director of Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) for nearly 18 months, in an attempt to pull the shipping industry into the 21st century. It is, he says, not an easy quest, but the first fruits of his labour are starting to show. “The container shipping industry is currently not a digitally advanced industry. We are, however, seeing a shift as many companies are thinking about how to change t

ASEAN economic ministers are committed to strengthening regional supply chains and improve trade digitalisation to spur trade and investments, as well as cushion the impact of the ongoing health crisis, according to Indonesian Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto. The commitment came after the 52nd ASEAN Economic Minister (AEM) meeting on Tuesday, in which ministers gathered virtually to discuss the impact of Covid-19 in the region’s economy, among other issues. “Indonesia supports

Asia Trade, Investment, FDI, Trade Facilitation, Digitalisation & Technical Consulting, Events & Networks - With Covid-19 reducing the ability for travel and business development KW Group have expanded our technical consultancy support across the region to support market access across Asia Pacific from our HQ in Malaysia. We work with trade donors, governments, academia, chambers, associations & enterprise clients with technical consulting, market access, sales & event suppor

Designing ‘human-centred’ trade facilitation solutions: How does it work? By Craig Atkinson for Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Following digitisation of commercial documents, the digitalisation of trade implies functional use of data to improve the automation potential of cross-border processes. By taking a human-centred approach to policy design in conformity with global semantic standards, trade rules in a ‘data driven’ format can address inequalities in access to info

Insight perspectives by ALEXANDER DE VOET, Manager, Global Consulting Lead, Accenture Border Services In my previous blog, I looked at some of the challenges border agencies face as they address the flows of people and goods in a world that is increasingly volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous (‘VUCA’).  To adapt and evolve their services to better meet these challenges, agencies need to start seeing the world from the point of view of the travellers and traders that