Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement - APTA

APTA consists of Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka, Mongolia. The Ministerial Council is the highest decision making body of APTA.

APTA agreement is the First Agreement signed for negotiating on terms of trade among the developing member countries of ESCAP. Preferential tariff arrangement aim to promote intra-regional trade through exchange of mutually agreed concessions by the members (developing country) of the ESCAP region.

APTA is a preferential trading arrangement to liberalize and expand trade progressively in the ESCAP region through relaxation of tariff and non-tariff barriers and trade-related economic cooperation.

The Agreement was signed by Bangladesh, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka.

The agreement aims at promoting economic development through expansion of trade among the developing member countries of ESCAP and to foster international economic cooperation by adopting mutually beneficial trade liberalization measures consistent with their respective present and future development and trade needs.