Trade facilitation and poverty reduction : China-ASEAN region case study

Results show that a 1 per cent increase in port efficiency results in a 1.051 per cent decrease in the poverty index. The level of Chinese trade facilitation is near the world average, but among ASEAN countries there is a big gap. Singapore is much higher than average whereas Viet Nam and Indonesia are lower than average. In the global supply chain, customs clearance is the most important link. Burdensome and inefficient customs clearance measures and poor infrastructure create high costs and make corruption easy. China and ASEAN must focus on investment in infrastructure – especially ports, airports and other related areas