Asian Economic Integration Report
The AEIR is an annual publication that covers the latest trends and analysis on regional cooperation and integration (RCI) of the region, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, financial flows, and movement of people. The report also features a theme chapter on issues highly pertinent for the region and policy implications for RCI.
AEIR 2025: Harnessing the Benefits of Regional Cooperation and Integration
The Asian Economic Integration Report 2025 analyzes how regional integration has driven growth in Asia and the Pacific over the past 2 decades. This integration has significantly impacted trade, global value chains, foreign direct investment, finance, migration, remittances, and tourism. Despite strong regional cooperation, growing geopolitical tensions and global fragmentation call for renewed focus on regional cooperation to cushion external shocks. Modernizing trade and investment agreements, enhancing regional financial arrangements, and advancing digitalization will help drive economic prosperity, bridge the digital divide, and navigate geopolitical and economic challenges in the coming decades.
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AEIR 2024: Decarbonizing Global Value Chains
The Asian Economic Integration Report (AEIR) 2024 examines the impact of economic factors on the movement of goods, services, and people across borders. It analyzes how regional economies in Asia and the Pacific respond to economic and geopolitical challenges by deepening economic inter-relationships.
This year’s AEIR theme chapter focuses on the pressing issue of decarbonizing global value chains (GVCs). The chapter delves into the carbon emissions generated at various stages of GVCs and emphasizes the need for policymakers to address this environmental challenge while maximizing the economic advantages of globalization and global production networks. It evaluates the impact of initiatives like the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for Asian subregions, suggesting strategies such as carbon pricing, emission accounting, enhanced trade cooperation, technology upgrades, and international collaboration for technology transfer to mitigate carbon emissions.
AEIR 2023: Trade, Investment, and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific
The Asian Economic Integration Report (AEIR) reviews Asia and the Pacific’s progress on regional cooperation and integration and the states of trade, cross-border investment, financial integration, and the movement of people. According to the 2023 report, integration in the region is progressing steadily and remained stable in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme chapter, “Trade, Investment, and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific”, examines how trade and investment, which have been the main driver of the region’s economic growth and industrialization, contribute to climate change, and what policy measures need to be taken to make trade and investment part of climate solutions.
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AEIR 2022: Advancing Digital Services Trade in Asia and the Pacific
Another year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia and Pacific region has made commendable efforts to contain the pandemic, protect people’s lives and livelihoods, and minimize economic impact. Fragile and uneven economic recovery continues in the region on the back of increased vaccine rollouts and policy support. AEIR 2022 provides a comprehensive review of the region’s cross-border activities and the progress of regional cooperation and integration in the areas of trade and global value chains, cross-border investment, finance, migration, and tourism. The report also features a theme chapter entitled “Advancing Digital Services Trade in Asia and the Pacific”, which highlights how rapid digitalization spurs the growth of digital services trade and discusses various ways for Asian economies to capitalize on new opportunities through structural reforms and international cooperation.
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AEIR 2021: Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific
This report examines the initial impact on trade, investment, finance, and peoples mobility across the region as the COVID-19 pandemic struck. This years AEIR theme chapter is on digital platforms and how they can accelerate digital transformation across the region.
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AEIR 2019/2020: Demographic Change, Productivity, and the Role of Technology
This report’s theme chapter explores the potential of technology and innovation to boost productivity and opportunities in aging economies. Regular chapters document progress in trade and global value chains, cross-border investment, financial integration, the movement of people, and subregional cooperation
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AEIR 2018: Toward Optimal Provision of Regional Public Goods in Asia and the Pacific
The special chapter examines how collective action among countries can help find solutions to growing transnational development challenges and suggests the role of multilateral development banks as honest broker in enhancing mutual trust and facilitating regional cooperation for regional public goods.
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AEIR 2017: The Era of Financial Interconnectedness - How Can Asia Strengthen Financial Resilience?
The theme chapter reexamines the regions ability to absorb financial shocks and avoid instability. The report also introduces the Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index, a composite index to help monitor and evaluate the progress of regional cooperation and integration.
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AEIR 2016: What Drives Foreign Direct Investment in Asia and the Pacific?
The Asian Economic Integration Report is ADB’s annual report on Asia’s regional economic cooperation and integration, covering 48 regional members of the ADB and analyzing their regional as well as global economic linkages. It has two major chapters—(i) the progress in regional cooperation and integration (RCI), which provides the latest progress in economic outlook, trade and investment integration, financial integration, and people movement, and updates of subregional cooperation initiatives; and (ii) special theme chapter on RCI-related topics which could draw broad interest from policy makers and academia alike.
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AEIR 2015: How Can Special Economic Zones Catalyze Economic Development?
The Asian Economic Integration Report 2015 examines current trends in trade, finance, migration, remittances and other economic activities in the region, with a special chapter on the role of special economic zones (SEZs). If done right, SEZs can become drivers for increased trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and better economic policymaking and reforms. Moreover, as countries develop, areas with SEZs can be transformed from mere manufacturing sites, to become hubs for innovation and modern services. more about the AEIR
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