Smooth flow of documents improves trade efficiency

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)