The South Asian Free Trade Agreement: which way forward?
Date
2008
Authors
Weerakoon, D.
Thennakoon, J.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Journal of South Asian Development, 2008; 3(1):135-149
Statement of Responsibility
Dushni Weerakoon, Jayanthi Thennakoon
Conference Name
Abstract
The South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), due to have been implemented starting July 2006, has adopted a negative list approach permitting member countries to potentially exclude a substantial share of intraregional trade from the tariff liberalisation process. This study finds that the excluded trade amounts to nearly 53 per cent of current import trade amongst South Asian countries, bringing into question the future prospects for meaningful economic cooperation under a regional framework. At the very least, if the SAFTA treaty had built on the existing bilateral FTAs in the region, it would eventually have come to supersede such agreements. Unfortunately, the regional initiative has lagged well behind the bilateral process, and is likely to be overtaken by alternative strategic trade policy initiatives cropping up in the region. It seems likely that attempts at economic integration of the South Asian region under the SAARC framework is liable to fragment.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
Copyright ©2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine