The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), previously named the Bangkok Agreement, signed in 1975 as an initiative of ESCAP, is a preferential tariff arrangement that aims at promoting intra-regional trade through exchange of mutually agreed concessions by member countries. (APTA text in Russian)

In December 2009, the Participating States entered into the Framework Agreement on the Promotion, Protection and Liberalization of Investment and the Framework Agreement on Trade Facilitation and in August 2011 entered in to the Framework Agreement on the Promotion and Liberalization of Trade in Services.

 Participating States

Mongolia is currently in the process of accession to APTA.

Bangladesh, China, India, Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Sri Lanka
ESCAP functions as the secretariat for the Agreement.

 Fact sheet of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement

• Factsheet of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, Oct 2008
• Presentation on APTA overview (in Russian), Oct 2008
• Factsheet of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, Oct 2007
• Facts about the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (Bangkok Agreement), Informal Information Note, Oct 2006

• Third Session of the Ministerial Council of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 15 December 2009, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Opening Statement by Mr. Shigeru Mochida, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNESCAP
  • Ministerial Declaration
  • Press release: Six Asian Economies Announce Tariff Reductions and Broader Cooperation
• Second Session of the Ministerial Council of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 26 October 2007, Goa, India
  • Opening Statement by Mr. Shigeru Mochida, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNESCAP
  • Operational Procedures for the Certification and Verification of the Origin of Goods under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement
  • Ministerial Declaration
  • Press release: Six Asian Economies to Launch a New Round of Trade Liberalization
• Third Round Tariff Concessions under APTA
  • Third Round Tariff Concessions under APTA entered into force on 1 September 2006
  • Assessment of Third Round Results: Note by the Secretariat
  • Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement: Implications of Exchange of Trade Preferences for Member and Prospective Member Countries
• First Session of the Ministerial Council of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 2 November 2005, Beijing, China
  • Opening Speech by Dr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP
  • Presentation on "Potential and future of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement" by Dr. Kim
  • Amendment to the First Agreement on Trade Negotiations among Developing Member Countries of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok Agreement)
  • Ministerial Declaration
• UNESCAP Press Release: Ministers to change name of Bangkok Agreement to Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 2 November 2005
• China ratified its accession to the Bangkok Agreement on 12 April 2001

• 38^thsession, 8-10 March 2011
• 37^th Session, 28-29 September 2010
• 36^th Session, 21-23 June 2010
• 35^th Session, 13-14 December 2009
• 34^th Session, 31 October-1 November 2009
• 33^rd Session, 23-25 September 2009
• 32^nd Session, 27-29 May 2009
• 31^th Session, 25-27 February 2009
• 30^th Session, 9-10 September 2008
• 29^th Session, 29-30 May 2008
• 28^th Session, 12-13 March 2008
• 27^th Session, 24-25 October 2007
• 26^th Session, 29-30 May 2007
• 25^th Session, 13-14 November 2006
• 24^th Session, 1 November 2005
• 23^rd Session, 18-19 January 2005
• 22^nd Session, 6-8 July 2004
• 21^st Session, 17-19 February 2004
• 20^th Session, 10-12 November 2003

• National Seminar on the Business Implications ofthe Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) for Bangladesh, 13 June 2012, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• APTA Business Sector Meeting, 25 July 2011, Bangkok, Thailand
• National Seminar on the Prospective Benefits for Nepal in Joining the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 11 February 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Seminar on the business implications of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement on India, 7 December 2010, New Delhi, India
• Study Tour for Mongolian Officials to Republic of Korea, 30 September 2010, Jeju, Republic of Korea
• High-Level Multi-stakeholder Seminar on Evidence-based Trade Policy and Negotiation Tools for Mongolia's Accession to the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 23-25 June 2010, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• National Seminar on the Prospective Benefits for Cambodia in Joining the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), 7 September 2009, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• National Seminar on Prospective Benefits of Joining the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement for Mongolia, 29-30 June 2009, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Subregional Seminar on the Prospective Benefits of Membership in Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 24 February 2009, Bangkok, Thailand
• Sub-regional Seminar on Prospective Benefits of APTA Membership for Central Asian Economies, 5 November 2008, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• Seminar on Trade Data Exchange under APTA, 11 September 2008
• Business Awareness Creating Seminar on the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, 13 March 2008, Colombo, Sri Lanka
• National Seminar on Prospective Benefits of APTA Membership for Papua New Guinea, 8 May 2007, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
• National Seminar on the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement for Pakistan, 10 January 2007, Islamabad, Pakistan
• Expert Group Meeting on APTA and Regional Economic Cooperation, 12 November 2006, Kolkata, India
• National Seminar on APTA for Philippines, 24 August 2006, Manila, Philippines
• National Seminar on APTA for Mongolia, 23 March 2006, Ulaanbataar, Mongolia
• National Seminar on APTA for Nepal, 17 March 2006, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Expert Group Meeting on the Role of Regional Trade Agreements in Facilitating SMEs' participation in Global Value Chains, 9-10 March 2006, Kunming, China
• Expert Group Meeting on Benefits of APTA for GMS countries, 7-10 March 2006, Vientiane, Lao PDR
• Seminar on Implications of the Bangkok Agreement for Prospective Members, 25-26 March 2004, Bangkok, Thailand

• Bangladesh
• Concessions list
• China
• General concessions
• Special concessions
• India
• General concessions
• Special concessions
• Republic of Korea
• General concessions
• Special concessions
• Sri Lanka
• General concessions
• Special concessions

• Rules of Origin for the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement
• Operational Procedures for the Certification and Verification of the Origin of Goods under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement