South Asia Trade and Energy Security

Abstract

Today, policy makers in both developed and developing countries are pursuing regionalization as a means to achieve easier market access, economies of scale, and welfare gains. South Asia Trade and Energy Security explains how regional economic cooperation in trade and energy security could help facilitate the economic transformation of the region, reducing poverty and expanding production. Currently, intra-regional trade in South Asia is constrained by tariff and non-tariff barriers. A fully-functional free trade area as envisaged in the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement has yet to be realized. This book explains the current patterns and limitations of energy trade between countries in South Asia, and how the growing demand for energy could be met by working closely with energy rich Iran, Burma, and Central Asian countries. Cross-border cooperation between India and China, Chinese investment in Tibet and Xinxiang, and water relations are also discussed. Policymakers, geopolitical strategists, and academics working in Asian Studies will appreciate this detailed analysis of how globalization and regional cooperation in trade and energy are playing a transformative role in South Asia’s economic development.

About the Author

Professor Narottam Banskota has taught at Tribhuvan University in Nepal for over twenty five years and has published several books and articles in the area of regional economic integration in South Asia. He has been a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, Institute of Developing Economies (Tokyo), and Oxford University.