Failure to remove non-tariff barriers 'will impede Asean growth'

Singapore

ASEAN could fail to meet its growth targets if it doesn't adopt a sustained strategy to get rid of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs), a new report has warned.

The report noted the "large number" of NTBs and NTMs - policies and measures (other than tariffs) that stand in the way of free trade, such as quotas, levies or import and export constraints - especially in the automotive, agri-food and automotive sectors. The report was commissioned by the European Union-Asean Business Council and the Asean Business Advisory Council, and p…