Intra-Asia – a powerhouse of global trade
ASIA is well known for its might in global production, but it is also rapidly becoming the world’s largest consumer market due to a large and growing middle class. This shift is altering consumption patterns and logistics requirements, both within and beyond Asia.
Intra-Asia trade is currently one of the largest in the world. According to the International Monetary Fund, intra-regional trade has increased by 43 per cent over the past four decades. Today, more than half of Asian trade is regional.
Growth drivers for this dynamic trade
The increasing fragmentation of trade, largely driven by businesses’ goal to diversify operations and sourcing to mitigate risks and build more robust supply chains, is contributing to the strong growth in the movement of raw materials and semifinished goods within the region.
Free-trade agreements (FTA) such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-Asean Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0, are also promoting more trade flows by reducing tariffs and trade barriers, and opening new markets for businesses operating in Asia.
Correspondingly, port infrastructure is developing at a rapid pace in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Governments and private companies are investing to expand the capacity and efficiency of ports so they can handle increasing cargo volumes and calls by bigger vessels.
Earlier in the year, the Hateco Haiphong International Container Terminal was officially opened in northern Vietnam, a new deepwater port that can handle mega vessel services of up to 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
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Standing out in a highly competitive landscape
Data from liner shipping analyst company Alphaliner shows shipping in the intra-Asian market is highly competitive, with at least 69 active players, and container capacity in the region increased by 13 per cent last year, reaching 2.4 million TEU.
In response to customers’ growing demand, Maersk has increased capacity deployed on this trade.
In spite of the continued growth potential, Asia is a challenging market to navigate. Intra-Asia trade is notably more complex, driven by fragmented trade flows, and where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the landscape.
These SMEs, which often face more complex logistics challenges than larger firms, rely heavily on freight forwarders as a means of simplifying their operations.
Intra-Asia trade is to a large extent focused on shipping and dominated by freight forwarders, which focus on price and speed of their offerings. The strength of Maersk’s value proposition lies in our ability to provide tailored integrated logistics solutions to customers across ocean transport, landside logistics, warehousing, and end-to-end supply chain management, which provide customers with greater flexibility and efficiency.
To that end, we are strengthening our inland connectivity, and our intermodal solutions – linking road, rail, and barge – enabling seamless cargo movement to and from inland production hubs.
Importantly, Maersk is also able to provide access to global markets through our comprehensive network of multi-modal transportation solutions and support customers to move their cargo seamlessly between regions.
With the launch of Maersk’s new East-West network since February 2025, we have also adjusted our shuttle services between ports in Asia, enabling leaner loops and faster transit times, also complementing the needs for intra-Asia customers.
Strong outlook despite global volatility
The ongoing uncertainty linked to tariff changes have increased the volatility of intra-Asia trade, as a significant portion of the finished goods produced from intra-Asia cargo movements are shipped to the US for consumption.
Businesses should stay close to their logistics partners, particularly those that offer flexible integrated solutions that can help them pivot or navigate this global volatility in trade.
There is growing demand for these finished goods in markets in Asean, driven by rising income and consumption levels.
Bloomberg reported that China-Asean export volumes have been double that of China-US since March 2025. Trade between China and Asean similarly grew by 9.4 percent year on year for the first seven months of 2025, according to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs in China.
Despite the headwinds of volatility, with a growing consumer base in the region, manufacturing diversification and deeper regional integration, we are confident intra-Asia trade will remain a primary growth engine for years to come. It is essential to continue building the integrated logistics infrastructure to support this.
The writer is head of Asia market, ocean product, AP Moller-Maersk
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