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Background
Online
Database of Trade and Investment Agreements
in Asia and the Pacific
(Please click title to access the
database)
In recent years
the ESCAP region has experienced
a rapid increase in the number of
preferential trade agreements (PTAs)
signed and implemented both at the
bilateral and regional levels. This
phenomenon has effectively changed
the landscape of trade relations
in the region and increased the
complexity of regional markets.
A key task therefore is to draw
out commonalities among agreements
and promote their consolidation
with a view to achieve a more rational
process of Asia-Pacific wide integration.
In order to provide a useful tool
for observers and stakeholders (government,
researchers and policy analysts)
to monitor and analyze the development
of trade agreements in this new
environment, Trade Policy Section
of Trade and Investment Division
(TID) of ESCAP launched an Online
Database of PTAs in Asia and the
Pacific.
This online database provides detailed
descriptive and updated information
on the provision of regional trade
Agreements (RTAs)/bilateral trade
agreements (BTAs) applicable to
the ESCAP region. The first version
of the database covers all the agreements
reported to the WTO to this date
in which at least one party is in
the ESCAP region. It also includes
other agreements that have not been
notified but for which there is
official information readily available,
and also those agreements under
negotiation for which there has
been at least a first formal negotiation
round.
In the development of this database
several sources have been used:
official, unofficial, and academic.
Wherever possible, a link to the
original source has been provided
to allow users to check for the
latest updates.
The online database will be expanded
to include statistical data sets
on trade flows, commodity composition,
services trade by individual agreements
and the development of indicators
to assess the implications of RTAs/BTAs
on such flows.
For any question or comment, please
contact the Trade Policy Section
through its website: http://www.unescap.org/tid/index.asp
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