The BIMSTEC Free Trade Area

2022 ◽  
pp. 101-121
Author(s):  
Mahboob Muhammad Ali ◽  
Anita Medhekar
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Close Cooperation ◽  
Trade And Investment

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional cooperation between Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Thailand since the liberalization of these economies. Member countries need to be more proactive for integrated regional cooperative hubs to enhance trade and investment opportunities in health and other sectors of the economy to cope with the pandemic and its impact. The aim of this chapter is to show how BIMSTEC, a regional cooperative body, can be a driver for socio-economic development, inter-regional trade, and investment opportunities for BIMSTEC countries and cope with COVID-19 and its impact. The BIMSTEC area is home to approximately 1.6 billion citizens accounting to 22% of the worlds inhabitants with a joint gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.7 trillion. Unemployment situation of ‘new poor' can be tackled through close cooperation among the BIMSTEC nations in an effective manner to achieve ‘pareto optimality' through trade and investment among member countries.

India’s Trade Experience with SAARC and the Future of SAFTA

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Alok Kumar Pandey ◽  
Annapurna Dixit
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
The Future ◽  
Wto Agreements

ndia is also committed to ensure that the special and differential treatment provisions for developing countries under different WTO agreements are translated into specific enforceable dispensations. Currently, India has adopted WTO norms in these sectors i.e. Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Intellectual property and services. SAARC is moving towards a Free Trade Area and South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) that is an initial step in the evolution of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation as a regional trade block and an economic union. SAFTA was signed on January 6, 2004, during the Twelfth SAARC Summit in Islamabad. But how favorably it will affect the intra-regional trade it is uncertain as economic trouble for India could be created through the Free Trade Agreements. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to depict India’s foreign trade with SAARC nations considering the structural changes in Indian Economy as well as WTO Arrangements in 1995 and also the future of the SAFTA.

Implications of AFTA on Philippine Labor Export

1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo M. Villegas
Keyword(s):  
Labor Migration ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Preferential Tariff ◽  
The Common

After summarizing the major features of the ASEAN labor market and patterns of labor migration in Asia, the article describes the origins and current status of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and its main mechanism, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) Scheme. Projections are offered on the effects on regional trade after AFTA. Though the volume of intra-regional trade may be less significant than in the cases of Europe or North America, AFTA is likely to have a significant effect on promoting a regional division of labor. Although AFTA is limited to the manufacturing sector, in the future the Philippines may find a niche in services requiring “knowledge workers” such as accountants and computer analysts.

scholarly journals Trade liberalization in the south east Europe: Effects and controversial issues

2008 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Pjerotic
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Proper Position ◽  
Export Structure ◽  
South East Europe

Included in the regional cooperation of SEE countries, trade liberalization is considered the most important factor of a sustainable economic growth which should contribute to the mutual trade among SEE countries, growth of the foreign direct investments, further production specialization and export structure change. Countries of the region have accepted liberalization as one of the conditions of the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP), hoping, each of them individually, that in that way they would improve proper position. Creating a free trade area will contribute to a further increase of intra-regional trade flows, but it shouldn't be expected that the relative importance of mutual exchange will prevail the importance which EU has for the SEE countries, except Moldova. Paper is divided into five sections. After the introduction, the trade liberalization process in the SEE region is explained in the second part (section 2). The third section analyses actual intra-regional trade flows and SEE countries trade relations with the EU (section 3). Some controversial issues raised in recent debates on trade liberalization in SEE are also discussed (section 4). The main conclusions are given at the end (section 5). .

scholarly journals South Asian Free Trade Area and Indo-Pakistan Trade

2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (4II) ◽  
pp. 943-958
Author(s):  
Indra Nath Mukherji
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Liberalisation ◽  
Trade Restrictions ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Common External Tariff ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Preferential Trading ◽  
The Impact

Preferential trading is one of the mildest forms of an integrative arrangement. Under the arrangement, the Contracting States (CS) offer a preferential margin with respect to trade barriers in relation to their MFN rates. CS having disparate levels of development as well as trade regimes, find this an acceptable instrument for initiating regional trade liberalisation. Such an arrangement nevertheless provides the building blocks towards accelerated regional trade liberalisation culminating in a free trade area within a defined time frame. Under a free trade area the CS eliminate all trade restrictions on their mutual trade, while maintaining restrictions in their trade with non-CS at a level they deem appropriate. When all CS decide on a common external tariff, then the arrangement translates itself in a more cohesive customs union. The arrangement translates to a common market when all CS agree not only to allow free movement of goods and services, but all the factors of production including capital and labour. Finally, the most comprehensive form of an integrative arrangement results from an economic union, which integrates national economic policies of CS and leads to the adoption of a common currency. The Agreement on South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA), which became operational since December 7th, 1995 thus, symbolises the beginnings of the very first stage of an integrative arrangement among the member countries of SAARC. The decision made at the Twelfth SAARC Summit at Islamabad in January 2004 to launch South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) from January 2006 would mark the second stage of the process of integration in the region. The main focus of this paper is to assess the impact of SAPTA on Indo-Pak trade.

scholarly journals Trade and Growth

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-277
Author(s):  
Jakkie Cilliers
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Growth Increase ◽  
Trading Partners ◽  
History Of

AbstractCilliers starts by exploring the modern history of international trade and the importance of trade to economic growth and global cooperation. The chapter then provides an overview of Africa’s trading partners, the need for greater regional integration in the continent and the challenges to achieving intra-regional cooperation. It examines the need to improve the quality of governance, bridge the infrastructure deficit and eventually focus on a manufacturing-led growth path. Reducing both tariff and non-tariff barriers could facilitate the successful implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), induce economic growth, increase per capita incomes and reduce poverty. A penultimate section models the potential impact of the AfCFTA on growth, poverty reduction and increased average incomes.

Trade Blocks and the Gravity Model: Evidence from Western Hemispheric Countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-156
Author(s):  
E.M. Ekanayake ◽  
Amit Mukherjee ◽  
Bala Veeramacheneni
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Model ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Model Evidence ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Trade Blocks

We analyze the major trade blocks in Western Hemisphere and their effects on intra-regional trade flows using data for the period 1980-2006. We use an augmented gravity model to estimate the effect of various trade blocks on trade flows within and across membership other Western Hemispheric countries. The findings of this study are consistent with findings of previous studies on Western Hemisphere trade flows and shed some light on whether the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas is beneficial or not for Western Hemispheric countries.

Integration Potential of Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81
Author(s):  
E. Arapova
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Asian Regionalism

During the 2014 APEC summit the participating countries agreed to move towards a region-wide economic integration and approved China-backed roadmap to promote the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). The paper examines prospects for economic integration in the Asia-Pacific in the framework of 21 APEC participating members. It aims to measure the “integration potential” of the FTAAP on the basis of quantitative and qualitative analysis of the actual statistic data, to explore key obstacles hampering economic integration in the region. The research comes from the theory of convergence and concept of proximity. They suppose that the higher is the degree of homogeneity in economic development and regulatory regimes of the integrating countries the higher is their “integration potential”. The objective of the author’s analysis is to measure the “integration potential” of APEC countries in four directions: trade liberalization, free movement of investments, monetary and banking integration, free division of labor. Initial estimates of the FTAAP prospects base on the merchandize trade complementarity indices and coefficients of variation analysis. Besides, the research uses hierarchical cluster analysis that helps to classify countries in different groups according to similarity of their economic typologies. This methodology allows to reveal the favorable algorithm of regional economic integration in the framework of the “hybrid approach” (or “open regionalism” adopted for APEC countries in 1989) which encourages the countries to enter into free trade agreements on a bilateral basis or to make offers to the APEC membership as a whole. Final conclusions are based on the results of authors’ calculations with consideration for contemporary trends of the member countries’ economic development and long-term strategies of economic growth. Acknowledgements. The research was supported by the Russian Fund for Humanities, project no. 15-07-00026 “East Asian regionalism in the context of diversifi cation of economic growth model”.

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