Background and influence of trade facilitation

With multilateral, regional, bilateral and unilateral cooperation and efforts, obstacles or barriers affecting international trade activities are gradually being reduced or suppressed, and the trade systems of various countries are becoming more and more open. With the expansion of international trade scale and the strengthening of trade links between countries and regions, "trade inefficiency" as an "invisible" market access barrier has attracted more and more attention from many international organizations, governments and trade circles, prompting people to attach great importance to the rationalization of various trade management procedures. For decades, many intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (such as UNCTAD, UN/ECE, WCO, International Chamber of Commerce, OECD, International Monetary Fund and World Bank) have been working hard to promote the development in this field. ) has been working hard to achieve the goal of simpler and more coordinated international trade procedures. Further reducing and eliminating the obstacles that hinder the cross-border flow of factors, reducing transaction costs, and establishing an efficient trade facilitation system have become the contents. Since the establishment of 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has also begun to comprehensively consider and specifically analyze the issue of trade facilitation. After several years of deliberation and constructive debate, members finally reached an understanding that trade facilitation should be included in the Doha development agenda as the only issue in the "Singapore Issues".