Non-tariff barriers, not tariffs, are stalling South-east Asia’s trade ambitions

[SINGAPORE] While global headlines fixate on tariff wars and rising protectionism sparked by US President Donald Trump’s administration and its use of levies as geopolitical leverage, analysts say it is non-tariff barriers that are quietly choking trade within South-east Asia.

In the Asean context, a key non-tariff barrier hindering deeper regional trade integration are the divergent national standards, particularly in areas such as testing and certification, said Arief Ramayandi, a senior research fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

“These barriers are compounded by practices such as import licensing, quotas, complex customs procedures and local content regulations,” he told The Business Times.