Synthesis report
39
V. Conclusion and implications for the
WTO negotiations
Case studies on trade facilitation measures implementation in five Asia-Pacific
countries, namely Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, India and Nepal, reveal that continuous
unilateral efforts have been made by the governments of these countries to facilitate
trade, although countries are often at very different stages of implementation. In many
countries, various trade facilitation systems and measures have been implemented at
selected border crossings or customs offices on a pilot basis, with plans to expand the
systems to all border crossings and relevant agencies, as resources become available.
However, it is often unclear when these systems will be implemented on a national scale
and to what extent rules and regulations will be implemented uniformly throughout each
country’s territory.
In an effort to increase transparency, government agencies responsible for issuing
and enforcing trade rules and regulations often have extensive publication and dissemination
programmes in place, although the amount of information made available publicly vary
from country to country. Not all countries have established standard time periods between
publication and implementation and consultation with stakeholders (e.g., private sector
traders) on new or amended rules remain ad-hoc and informal in most cases. Some form
of binding advance ruling systems are available or being established, but the coverage
(e.g., tariff, valuation, origin) and effectiveness (e.g., time between receipt of the information
and issuance of a ruling) of the systems vary greatly across countries. Appeal systems
and procedures exist but are not always independent from the regulatory authorities. In
addition, appeal processes are often lengthy and costly for the traders.
Fees and charges connected with importation and exportation seems to be still
quite numerous in some countries. Some of the fees and charges are calculated as
a percentage of the value of a shipment, which may not be consistent with the need for the
fees charges to be charged on the basis of the cost of services rendered. Some Governments
have made an effort to reduce the number and complexity of fees and charges, as well as
of trade documents for imports and exports. All countries, including the LDCs studied,
have on-going computerization and electronic trade documentation programmes. All countries
also have some form of rapid clearance system in place, albeit for selected categories of
goods. Risk management and post-clearance audit systems have also been introduced in
all countries, although on a very limited pilot basis in some countries. In regard to tariff
classification, all countries studied rely on the HS nomenclature, often expanded to 8 or
10-digit levels to suit their needs.
Transit in the Asian countries examined is generally governed by bilateral and
regional transit agreements. This might suggest that different rules and regulations apply
to goods in transit depending on their country of origin in some of the countries. No
charges are imposed on transit goods. One recurring concern, particularly in South Asia,
is that goods officially in transit be illegally marketed in the transit country, as there are
often no risk assessment mechanisms in place for these goods.