Rules of Origin in ASEAN: A Way Forward. By Stefano Inama and Edmund W. Sim

摘要

Although the world economy has seen an improvement in trade and investment relations, the various Regional Trading Arrangements (RTAs) which propel them - such as Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) - tend to discriminate against non-members. This is because FTA members enjoy preferential benefits (zero-tariffs or fewer non-tariff measures) over non-members. This imbalance in trade privileges has led to serious complications when countries engage in international trade. Rules of Origin (ROOs) are often the source of such problems; while they may be easy to implement to goods which are completely produced in one country, they become much harder to enforce on goods with component parts made in more than one country.