HOME COMMENTARIES

COMMENTARIES

ASEAN Single Window: Time to Enlarge the Aperture

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

The development of ASEAN Single Window in the past 15 years has demonstrated the importance of digitalizing trade procedures to reduce trade costs and boost competitiveness in ASEAN. The enlargement of the ASEAN Single Window to include the grouping’s dialogue partners will reduce trade costs further.

E-commerce and Supply Chains: Links of the Same Chain

Gloria Pasadilla

E-commerce is seen as a panacea for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but it should be seen as one part of a larger and more complex system, involving other elements such as manufacturing and logistics. An ASEAN initiative to address bottlenecks in such systems should be lauded and supported.

ASEAN in the RCEP: Diversions and Reversions

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

Tariff cuts under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will generate import gains for ASEAN as it will reverse the negative trade-diversion effects caused by the existing bilateral and ASEAN+1 free trade agreements. But there will be firms in ASEAN that have to compete with their counterparts from RCEP countries.

Tariff Reductions In RCEP: They Still Matter for ASEAN Trade

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

Exporters in ASEAN are likely to face lower demand for their goods under the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, as three ASEAN dialogue partners – China, Japan and the Republic of Korea – are likely to intensify trade flows among them. This does not mean there is no room for ASEAN to accrue gains from the trade deal.