South-South trade: an Asian perspective

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to our understanding of the rationale behind the case for promoting trade among developing countries (South-South trade) by examining the emerging trends, patterns, and determinants of intra-developing country trade (South-South trade) in Asia within the wider global contest. The paper covers all developing member countries of the ADB (that is, countries in Northeast Asia (excluding Japan), East Asia, South Asia, and Central and West Asia, the Pacific), while paying attention to commonalities within sub-regions and differences among them. In analysing the Asian experience compared to developing countries in other regions, particular attention is placed on Asia’s unique role within global production networks and growing importance of cross-border trade in parts and component among countries in the region