中国-东盟自由贸易区贸易便利化及潜力研究

After reviewing relevant literature both domestically and internationally, it has been found that previous scholars focused on examining the impact of trade facilitation on trade flows at a macro level. The research mainly concentrated on theoretical studies, practical studies, and impact studies of trade facilitation between China and ASEAN. However, research on the combination of trade facilitation and trade potential in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area is still limited. This paper attempts to use principal component analysis to measure the trade facilitation in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and select an appropriate model to estimate trade facilitation. The study finds that improving the level of trade facilitation is beneficial for increasing bilateral and multilateral trade volume within the region, creating a better regional trade pattern, promoting free trade, forming complementary advantages, and improving the economic development level of member countries in the region. In terms of development potential, ASEAN not only has a large population size but also a significant untapped market. Moreover, it is the sixth-largest economy in the world, indicating tremendous development potential. By measuring and analyzing bilateral trade potential, this paper proposes policy recommendations for exploring bilateral trade potential to more effectively promote bilateral and multilateral trade among countries in the region.