• TRADE AND INVESTMENT PUBLICATIONS
• SELECTED WORLDWIDE WEBSITES

Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Southeast Asia. 2004. For sale. 244 pages. Price: S$49.90/US$29.90 (Soft cover)/ S$95.00/US$55.00 (Electronic book). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS).
Economic development in Southeast Asia was until recently largely driven by multinational corporations and by strategies that favoured foreign direct investment. However, the financial crisis of 1997-98 and the subsequent regional economic slowdown in 2001 forced policy-makers to re-evaluate their economic policies. The study looks at the increasingly important role of entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as agents of development and also focuses on the new policy initiatives by the different governments as they address the issues affecting the development of SMEs themselves.
Accessed on 13 September 2004 from <http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg>

Free Trade Agreements in Southeast Asia. 2004. For sale. 96 pages. Price: S$14.00/
US$9.00. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS).
The book creates a conceptual understanding on the features and benefits of FTAs proliferating in Southeast Asia. It focuses on the debate of whether such FTAs are a building or stumbling block towards achieving global free trade. The book details the concluded as well as ongoing FTA initiatives of Singapore, highlighting the benefits to the Singapore economy. It further details the other ongoing ASEAN-wide FTA initiatives, both at the bilateral and regional levels, and analyses their implications for the economies of Southeast Asia. The book observes that it is important to understand the exact nature of the gains from trade when entering into such agreements, given their wide scope and diverse nature.
Accessed on 22 September 2004 from <http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg>

Guide to Doing Business in China. (2003 edition). For sale. Price: US$48 (hard copy)/US$13 (soft copy).
China is a huge market with a host of trading and investment opportunities, especially after it becomes a WTO member. The guide provides practical knowledge on doing business in the mainland. It contains 15 chapters, including topics like foreign investment policy, how to set up foreign-invested companies, import, export and tax administration, foreign exchange control and staff recruitment.
Accessed on 17 September 2004 from <http://www.tdctrade.com/chinaguide/index_e.htm>

Guideline on Environmental Impact Assessment of Economic Partnership Agreements and Free Trade Agreements in Japan. (English Summary). March 2004. Available on-line (PDF-Format). Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
Ministry of the Environment established the Study Group on Environment and Economic Partnership Agreements/Free Trade Agreements. This Study Group was composed primarily of academic experts and tasked with investigating the environmental impact assessment methods that would be applied in the event that Japan concluded an EPA/FTA. Considerations were also advanced on the following main issues:
- Concrete methods to enhance the mutual supportiveness of trade and environment;
- A guideline on environmental impact assessment methods involving EPAs/FTAs; and
- Implementation of case studies.

Trade and Development Report 2004: Policy Coherence, Development Strategies and Integration into the World Economy. (UNCTAD/TDR/2004). Available on-line (PDF-Format, 188 pages, 3,963 Kb). UNCTAD
Part One of the report analyses, from a developing country perspective, recent developments in international trade and capital flows and prospects for the world economy. It is observed that the growing imbalances between the major blocks threaten the sustainability of the global recovery as too many countries are relying on exports for growth. The Report highlights that the attempt of many developing countries to keep their exchange rates stable against the US dollar and to preserve their competitive position on the world markets, has led to a situation where developing countries have become net exporters of capital as a result of a huge increase in international reserves in some regions. Part Two provides a systematic assessment on the relationship between exchange rates and trade flows. It concludes that in absence of a truly multilateral financial system to complement the trading system, developing countries are forced to adopt unilateral solutions to manage their competitive positions. As it is impossible that all countries are successful in trying to improve their competitiveness through the management of the exchange rate, these unilateral approaches endanger the proper working of the global economy at large and the benefits that can be expected from future trade rounds.
Accessed on 23 September 2004 from <http://www.unctad.org/en/docs//tdr2004_en.pdf>

World Investment Report 2004: The Shift Towards Services. (UNCTAD/WIR/2004). Available on-line (PDF-Format, 326 pages, 1,848 Kb). UNCTAD.
The report presents the latest trends in foreign direct investment and explores the shift towards services, with a special analysis of off shoring service activities. Part One discusses recent global and regional trends in FDI and international production by transnational corporations (TNCs). Global FDI flows bottomed out in 2003, but there were some regional differences. Part Two deals with FDI in services - an important but often neglected area of FDI in the context of development. It examines the shift of FDI towards services with a focus on the entry of TNCs into new service areas. Services FDI, especially in intermediate and infrastructure services, affects the economic performance of a host-country in all sectors. Part Three analyses key issues relating to national and international policies on FDI in services. The proliferation of international investment agreements covering FDI in services has resulted in a multifaceted and multilayered network of international rules that affect national policy-making.
Accessed on 23 September 2004 from <http://www.unctad.org/en/docs//wir2004_en.pdf>

World Trade Report 2004: Exploring the Linkage between the Domestic Policy, Environment and International Trade. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 276 pages, 3,162 Kb). WTO.
The first section of the report discusses recent developments in the structure, value and volume of international trade in goods and services, and trade prospects for 2004. It also includes analyses of non-reciprocal preferences, the international movement of persons supplying services, and geographical indications. The second section examines the subject of policy coherence, stressing the importance of complementary national policies to enable trade liberalization to create larger benefits for society. It focuses on four important areas of economic policymaking. They are: i) the macroeconomy; ii) the state of infrastructure and infrastructural services, particularly in areas linked closely to trade performance (transport, telecommunications, financial services and business services); iii) market structure, with special emphasis on the level of competition and presence of externalities; and iv) the quality of institutions. The last part of the second section of the report then explores the international dimensions of coherence, identifying the role of international cooperation in supporting coherent policy formulation at the national level, particularly in the field of trade policy.
Accessed on 22 September 2004 from
<http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/anrep_e/world_trade_report04_e.pdf>

http://www.asianrecorp.com
Asian Reinsurance Corporation (ARC)
Email: asianre@asianrecorp.com
The Asian Reinsurance Corporation (ARC) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1979 under the auspices of UNESCAP and commenced operations in 1980. Functions:
- To operate as a professional reinsurer accepting business from the insurance markets in member states as well as other markets in the region;
- To invest a sizeable proportion of its funds within the region;
- To serve as a regional centre for the collection of insurance information and the development of expertise in insurance and reinsurance to be put at the disposal of national insurance markets of the Member States;
- To provide technical assistance to the national insurance markets of the Member States.

Member countries of ARC are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Iran, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

http://www.ecommerce.or.th/about.html
Electronic Commerce Resource Center (ECRC), Thailand
Electronic Commerce Resource Center (ECRC) was set up under the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center to advance electronic commerce development in Thailand. ECRC’s objectives:
- To create public awareness and understanding in electronic commerce and cooperation among public and private organizations;
- To be the center of collecting and publicizing information resource and monitoring electronic commerce development of both the government and private sectors;
- To create capacity building in terms of human resources in various fields involving in electronic commerce activities.
Accessed on 17 September 2004.

http://www.sdnp.undp.org/gpgn/index.php
gpgNet: The Global Network on Global Public Goods
Email: info@gpgnet.net
gpgNet intends to serve researchers, policymakers, business and civil society as a platform for information exchange and discussion, on issues concerning the theory, policy design and practice of providing global public goods. The gpgNet is hosted by the Office of Development Studies in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). gpgNet has four main components:
- Knowledge Portal: A gateway to further information on global public goods (1999 onwards);
- Work in Progress: This section provides access to preliminary research results and studies in progress on which comments are invited;
- Discussion Forum: A platform for public debates on key aspects of public goods - local, national, regional and global;
- Links: Research institutes and Think Tanks.
Accessed on 23 September 2004.

http://www.itpcla.org
Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC)
Email: info@itpcla.org
Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) is a non-profit Government organization under the supervision of the National Agency for Export Development. Both institutions are parts of a global trade network abroad supervised by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the goal to enhance export of Indonesian products throughout the world.
Accessed on 16 September 2004.

http://www.icac.org/icac/general/profile/english.html
International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC)
Email: secretariat@icac.org
International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is the premier source of international data on the world cotton industry. The Secretariat forecasts cotton supply, use and prices, estimates cotton supply by type, and tracks exports by destination and imports by origin. The Secretariat measures and forecasts cotton consumption and cotton’s share of fiber demand in the world and by region.
Accessed on 15 September 2004.

http://www.jetro.go.jp/ip/e/bsc/ibsc.html
Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC)
Email: IBSCKOBE@jetro.go.jp
Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC), opened in Kobe in May 2003, serves as a one-stop center for support and information on investment and administrative procedures related to establishing or expanding a business in Japan. The center also offers practical consultation on the following investment projects:
- Machinery, industrial plants, electronics
- Food industry
- Computer software, electronics
- Consumer goods
Accessed on 15 September 2004.

http://itpc.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/English/about_ITPC
Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) - Viet Nam
Email: itpc@hcm.vnn.vn
Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), formerly known as Foreign Trade and Investment Development Center, provides local and foreign businesses with information on trade and investment, match-making and consulting services, as well as information on prices and markets, export-import situation, government regulations and other legal on manufacturing activities.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

http://www.smebank.co.th/eng/history.html
Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank)
SME Bank aims to develop, promote, and assist small and medium enterprises in the establishment, operation, expansion, or improvement of their businesses through the provision of loans, guarantees, venture capital, counseling and other necessary services. SME Bank provides training for "Business Successors" under the Ministry of industry’s New Entrepreneur Creation program, and also developes a network of strategic alliances with public and private-sector, domestic and overseas, in order to draw upon the knowledge and expertise in SME and economic development.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

http://www.sicgc.or.th/corporateprofile.php?version=Eng
Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation (SICGC) - Thailand
Email: info@sicgc.or.th
Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation (SICGC) is a state-owned specialized financial institution under the supervision of Ministry of Finance.
Objectives:
- To increase credit extension from financial institutions to small industries;
- To strengthen the confidence of financial institutions in providing credit to small
industries;
- To accelerate the dispersal of credit extension to small industries throughout the country;
- To promote industrial development to achieve the target of the National Economic and Social Development Plan.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

http://www.tradeknowledgenetwork.net
Trade Knowledge Network (TKN)
Email: dboyer@iisd.ca
Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is the collaboration of research institutions in developed and developing countries located in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The TKN is aimed at building long-term capacity to address issues of trade and sustainable development in developing country research institutions, non-governmental organizations and governments through increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of the issues. The TKN links network members and consolidates new and existing research on trade and sustainable development.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

http://www.intracen.org/ipsms/tsd/
TradeWORKS value chain approach: Analyzing the value chain and crafting strategies for sector-level value addition, export and socio-economic development
Email: sayers@intracen.org
TradeWORKS is a trade strategy development methodology applied at the sector and enterprise level. It is also a set of systematic and practical tools and techniques to help entrepreneurs and their business service providers to structure their ideas, make decisions about their future direction, align resources, and design activities to improve their competitiveness and attract investors. Underlying TradeWORKS is a value chain approach that is the starting point for a holistic examination of a sector’s entire global value chain; from final consumer through to initial inputs: raw materials, design, components and trade support services.
Accessed on 22 September 2004.

Information is taken mainly from secondary sources and UNESCAP accepts no responsibility for its accuracy. Mention of any companies and their products does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.