Smooth flow of documents improves trade efficiency

JAKARTA (JP): Smooth flow of documents, goods and financing are crucial for improving the efficiency of international trade, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has concluded.

A symposium on trade efficiency organized in Columbus, America, by the Conference's Trade Point Development Center, recently concluded many developing countries cannot gain many benefits from free international trade due to the inefficient flow of documents.

W. Kasman, Executive Director of the Business Information and Promotion Network of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), who attended the meeting, said yesterday the symposium identified arduous customs checks of goods as one of the main barriers to efficient trade.

"In fact, unsynchronized flow of documents, goods and finances could be exploited for manipulations, such as fictitious exports, as some businessmen in Indonesia have done," Kasman noted.

The symposium therefore recommended that a Trade Point Global Network be set up to help developing countries improve the efficiency of their international trade.

According to Kasman, Kadin's Business Information and Promotion Network will be linked to the global network.

The global network will function as a center for information on customs procedures, transportation services, finances, insurance, telecommunications and other matters related to international trade.

Kasman hoped the recommendations of the Conference's symposium would be discussed by the 2nd APEC customs and trade symposium in Jakarta on Nov. 4-5.(vin)