Are the Himalayas too high for the internet to pass? The prospect of an Asian digital single market seems remote, especially when India and China seem to be pulling apart. India is busy banning Chinese apps like TikTok, while China promulgates ever stricter rules on data transfer abroad. Asian governments still fail to see that rising above local conflicts might yield enormous dividends, strengthening their own economic security in the process. Digital single markets permit c

Member nations of a Pacific regional trade deal agreed Wednesday to allow the U.K. to begin the process to join in a potential boost for the country’s trade following Brexit. Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the move would strengthen economic ties between the U.K. and Japan, as well as making the zone covered by the deal equal to the EU in terms of economic size. He spoke to reporters after hosting an online meeting of ministers and officials from the 11 cou

Interesting article by Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose from FDI Intelligence. With so many of SEZs popping up around the world, relying on them could be a mistake for emerging economies. There are now more than 5300 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the world, 90% of which, according to Unctad, are in developing and transitioning economies. Yet the question that remains is whether the growing army of SEZs is delivering on its objectives. The Shenzhen SEZ in China — established in 1980 —

Nearly US$6 billion in foreign direct investment was poured into Viet Nam’s industrial parks (IPs), processing zones and economic zones (Ezs) in the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). The ministry said Viet Nam attracted 335 FDI projects in the period. The country has welcomed a total of 9,835 with registered capital of $197.8 billion so far. The disbursement capital at IPs and EZs reached 72.3 per cent of the total. Meanwhile,

The OECD Council adopted the Recommendations on Countering Illicit Trade: Enhancing Transparency in #FreeTradeZones. #OECD RECOMMENDS that Members and non-Members having adhered to the Recommendation, promote transparency in order to deter the abuse of FTZ as conduits for illicit trade. OECD RECOMMENDS that Members and non-Members take measures to encourage FTZ to implement the Code of Conduct for Clean Free Trade Zones. Such measures include, but are not limited to the condu