A free trade agreement is an agreement between two or more countries to eliminate trade obstacles. A free trade policy allows goods and services to be purchased and sold across international borders with little or no government taxes, quotas, subsidies, or bans impeding their interchange.
Protectionism: The antithesis of free trade is trade protectionism or economic isolationism. Free Trade Agreement are classified into three types: preferential trade agreements, comprehensive economic cooperation agreements, and comprehensive economic partnership agreements.
Tariff cuts affect the whole industry and agriculture sectors. Trade rules for services. Data localization is one example of a digital problem. Intellectual property rights that may have an influence on medicine availability. Promotion, facilitation, and protection of investment.
“South Asia’s Path to Resilient Growth,” an IMF book: It contends that a solid foundation exists for South Asia to trade more with vibrant East Asia. Between 1990 and 2018, overall merchandise trade between South Asia and East Asia increased at a rate of around 10% per year, reaching $332 billion in 2018.
Looking ahead, it might exceed $500 billion. The number of free trade agreements between South Asian and East Asian economies may increase to 30 by 2030. Background: South Asia-East Asia commerce has increased during the 1990s. Trade is tied to India’s trade re-alignment towards East Asia via its ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ strategies, as well as South Asia’s adoption of reforms. Global supply networks are being offshooted to Asia by China.
Regional commercial integration in Asia can be aided by gradually lowering trade barriers for commodities and services. Trade liberalisation in South Asia should be coordinated with tax changes, as trade taxes make for a significant portion of government revenue in certain economies. Adjusting funding to losing sectors in order to reallocate sources of production and retrain people in order to generate trade benefits and reduce income inequality.
Improve SEZ performance and invest in services SEZs to encourage industrial clustering and exports. Pursue comprehensive free trade agreements that would eventually lead to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which will allow for regional rules-based commerce to defend against growing protectionism. South Asian economies must increase their use of tariff preferences by better equipping businesses to navigate the complicated rules of origin in free trade agreements.
Future FTAs should address difficulties with global supply networks. The reimagined Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation can foster deeper commercial relations and protect the interests of smaller members.
After the COVID-19 epidemic, regional commerce in Asia is rebounding, providing chances for South Asia to engage in global value chains and services trade. Improving Special Economic Zones procedures and outcomes in South Asia necessitates the following steps: guaranteeing macroeconomic and political stability, implementing best practises regulatory policies toward investors, providing dependable energy, 5G broadband cellular technologies, and improving worker skills.
India has also signed free trade agreements with the UAE and Australia in 2022, and the confidence earned from them can assist India prepare for future Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership participation by implementing structural changes. It will improve supply chain competitiveness and encourage better regulatory coherence with East Asia.
If India enters Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the rest of South Asia may be enticed to join out of fear of being left out and experiencing trade diversion impacts. Reinventing BIMSTEC necessitates greater funding for its Secretariat, the completion of the long-running BIMSTEC free trade agreement, the development of trade capacity in smaller nations, and the introduction of dialogue partner status to foster open regionalism in Asia.
A tighter geographical covering between South Asia and Southeast Asia might serve as a foundation for future Asian commercial integration. To avoid a backlash against regionalisation, wealthier economies should make trade advantages available to smaller ones. Asians’ livelihoods may be improved by having the political will to embrace pro-trade policies. India is the largest economy in South Asia, and its G-20 leadership might serve as a solid starting point for these improvements.