By Akanimo Sampson
A new report launched the previous Monday by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) are now affecting around 58 per cent of trade in the region.
One reason for the rise of NTMs, according to the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019 (APTIR), is their growing popularity as weapons of trade policy in regional and global trade tensions.
But, while applied tariffs in the Asia-Pacific region have halved over the past two decades, it appears the number of NTMs – policy regulations other than tariffs affecting international trade – has risen significantly.
This can include government procurement limitations, subsidies to export and import restrictions as well as import and export bans through unilateral or multilateral sanctions. Meeting these complex and often opaque rules can require significant resources, affecting in particular SMEs.
However, the report also notes that NTMs as policy instruments can often be legitimate. Most of the NTMs are technical regulations, such as sanitary and phytosanitary requirements on food. The average cost of these measures alone amounts to 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product, roughly $1.4 trillion globally.
But they also serve important purposes such as protection of human health or the environment; and can even boost trade under certain conditions.
“While trade costs associated with NTMs are estimated to be more than double that of tariffs, NTMs often serve important public policy objectives linked to sustainable development. The key is to ensure they are designed and implemented effectively so that costs are minimized,” United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Armida Alisjahbana, said.
“To address trade costs while maintaining the benefits of NTMs, countries need to further enhance cooperation at all levels. Regional initiatives should be actively pursued, such as NTM harmonisation and mutual recognition initiatives in regional trade agreements,” UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said.
While costly to traders, failure to have essential technical NTMs in place or their poor implementation may have serious detrimental impacts on sustainable development. For example, the report refers to the lack of NTMs covering illegal fishing and timber trade in many Asia-Pacific economies.
It also points to the high economic costs for the region associated with the African swine fever epidemic, which can be linked to deficient implementation of NTMs. At the same time, new regulations on trade in plastic waste arising from amendment to the Basel Convention are promising.
NTMs are often very different between countries, making it difficult for firms to move goods from one country to another. Regulatory cooperation at the regional and multilateral level and the use of international standards when designing or updating NTMs is therefore important in overcoming challenges related to the heterogeneity of regulations.
Looking ahead, the report also highlights that trade costs of NTMs can be significantly reduced by moving to paperless trade and cross-border electronic exchange of information. This could lower costs by 25 per cent on average in the region, generating savings for both governments and traders of over $600 billion annually.
The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report is published annually and provides analyses of regional trends and policy developments in trade in goods and commercial services, as well as Foreign Direct Investment. It also provides insights into the impacts of these recent and emerging developments on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.
