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Retirement of Ken Waller
Many readers of this newsletter will know the Director of the Australian APEC Study Centre (AASC), Ken Waller. Ken, who has been Director of the Centre for the last nine years, retired from the position on 30 June 2017, leaving behind an enviable record of contribution...[read more]
Drawing on his long experience in APEC issues, Ken has reflected on APEC's effectiveness and processes and provides some thoughts on both of these in a reflective piece…[read more]
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PRC infrastructure: A lot done, a long way to go
By Abdul Abiad
Advisor
Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department at the ADB
It is well known the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a heavyweight when it comes to infrastructure investment. ADB estimates that on average from 2010 to 2014, the PRC invested 6.8% of GDP in infrastructure—defined here as transport, energy, telecommunications, and water and sanitation infrastructure. This is the highest among the 22 developing Asian countries for which estimates could be assembled. Most other countries in developing Asia have infrastructure investment rates below 3% of GDP – less than half the PRC’s. And this despite the infrastructure in many of these countries being in much poorer shape. This begs the question...Is the PRC over-investing in infrastructure?...[read more]
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Building a digital trading regime in Asia and the Pacific
By Dr Alisa DiCaprio
Research Economist
Asian Development Bank Institute
Today, we can say with certainty that trade is going consistently and irrevocably digital. This is a positive development for anyone involved in cross border commerce. Why? Trade needs disruption. Traditional cross-border trade is slow, costly and opaque. It is the reason that only 10% of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sales are exported. It also leads to mis-invoicing, a problem in itself, but which also accounts for 83.4% of all illicit financial outflows from developing countries...[read more]
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Investment Facilitation in APEC
By Akhmad Bayhaqi
Senior Analyst
APEC Policy Support Unit
Rhea Crisologo-Hernando
Researcher
APEC Policy Support Unit
The APEC Investment Facilitation Action Plan (IFAP) was launched in 2008 to strengthen regional economic integration, expand prosperity and employment, and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of growth among APEC economies. The IFAP includes a comprehensive menu of prescribed actions that address issues of transparency, simplicity, and predictability. Much has been achieved. This article reports on progress and identifies new, emerging issues arising from the growth of global value chains... [read more]
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Benefits of services trade liberalisation in the Asia-Pacific region
By Dr. Sherry M. Stephenson,
Member PECC Services Network and Senior Fellow
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)
Services are at the top of the list of new sources of growth recently identified by APEC, together with digital trade and increasing the participation of women in the work force. As services have become pervasive throughout the entire economy, achieving more efficient services will unlock economic potential, not just in the tertiary sector but in all areas, including manufacturing and agriculture. Because services are a key contributor to innovation, they have been demonstrated to account as well for a major share of productivity growth in many advanced economies… [read more]
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Please follow the Australian APEC Study Centre Twitter account @APEC_Centre_AU for updates on all AASC activities!
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