The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), previously named as the Bangkok Agreement, was signed in 1975 as an initiative of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). This is the oldest preferential trade agreement among developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The APTA member countries cover a total population of about 2.5 billion, which is a vast potential market to increase the level of intra-regional trade flows among the participating states.
APTA aims to promote economic development through the adoption of mutually beneficial trade liberalization measures that will contribute to intra-regional trade expansion and provides for economic integration. Sri Lanka is one of the founder members of the Bangkok Agreement and the APTA.
With the name change to the APTA in 2005, this Regional Trade Agreement was mandated for expansion of coverage to other areas of cooperation such as Promotion, Protection and Liberalization of Investment, trade facilitation and trade in services in addition to the negotiation in trade in goods.
Four round of negotiations have been concluded so far and DoC together with other Gov. entities is currently engaged in the Standing Committee (SC) Sessions and Working Group meetings on Investment, Trade Facilitation, Services and Rules of Origin under the fifth round of APTA negotiation.
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APTA - at a glance
| Date of signing of the agreement | Date of coming into effect | Members | Negotiation approach | Products coverage |
| 2nd November 2005 |
01st September 2006 | Bangladesh, China, India, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR,Mongolia and Sri Lanka. |
Positive List | 10,461 |
Rules of Origin Criteria (RoO) under APTA applicable to Sri Lanka – at a glance
|
Wholly obtained products |
Not Wholly obtained products With Sufficient working or processing |
|
|
√
|
General Rule |
Cumulative Rule |
|
45% < DVA
|
60% < RAC
|
|
Statistical Analysis
Sri Lanka’s country wise exports and imports under APTA
|
Value in US$ Mn |
||||||||||
|
Country |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|||||
|
Export |
Import |
Export |
Import |
Export |
Import |
Export |
Import |
Export |
Import |
|
|
China |
117.47 |
22.72 |
122.01 |
17.93 |
137.34 |
19.79 |
159.20 |
20.44 |
184.49 |
24.12 |
|
South Korea |
30.52 |
0.10 |
32.54 |
0.03 |
38.77 |
- |
41.79 |
0.00 |
50.66 |
0.03 |
|
India |
2.59 |
0.33 |
1.03 |
0.04 |
2.42 |
0.06 |
1.89 |
0.07 |
1.22 |
0.07 |
|
Bangladesh |
0.21 |
- |
0.27 |
- |
0.75 |
0.04 |
1.80 |
- |
2.24 |
- |
|
Laos |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total |
150.79 |
23.15 |
155.85 |
18.00 |
179.27 |
19.88 |
204.67 |
20.51 |
238.61 |
24.22 |
|
Source: Sri Lanka Custom |
||||||||||
Sri Lanka’s product wise exports under APTA
|
Value in US$ Mn |
||||||||
|
HS |
Description |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Change in 2021 over 2020 (%) |
Share in 2021 (%) |
|
61+62 |
Apparel and clothing accessories |
47.76 |
49.19 |
63.39 |
65.46 |
70.83 |
8.21 |
29.69 |
|
0902 |
Tea whether or not flavoured |
48.47 |
46.05 |
48.77 |
56.17 |
59.63 |
6.15 |
24.99 |
|
530500 |
cococnut (coir) : Moulded products for use in horticulture |
22.46 |
17.17 |
17.61 |
25.40 |
30.38 |
19.63 |
12.73 |
|
380210 |
Activated carbon |
13.97 |
18.21 |
21.52 |
23.18 |
28.67 |
23.65 |
12.01 |
|
401519 |
Gloves,mittens and mitts : other |
4.28 |
4.29 |
4.48 |
5.76 |
6.74 |
17.10 |
2.82 |
|
030389 |
Other fish, excluding livers and roes: other |
- |
1.33 |
1.61 |
1.90 |
4.78 |
151.64 |
2.00 |
|
400129 |
Natural rubber: Other :Crepe : Brown |
1.95 |
2.43 |
1.40 |
1.54 |
3.50 |
127.21 |
1.47 |
|
030743 |
Cuttle fish : Frozen |
- |
- |
0.53 |
1.47 |
3.22 |
118.50 |
1.35 |
|
740321 |
Copper alloys : Copper-zinc base alloys (brass) |
- |
- |
0.18 |
3.14 |
3.20 |
2.11 |
1.34 |
|
401290 |
Natural rubber: Other :Crepe : Brown |
1.37 |
2.01 |
1.52 |
1.45 |
2.82 |
93.97 |
1.18 |
|
401180 |
New pneumatic tyres, of rubber |
- |
0.02 |
0.50 |
1.07 |
2.40 |
123.58 |
1.00 |
|
Other |
10.52 |
15.13 |
17.77 |
18.13 |
22.44 |
23.78 |
9.41 |
|
|
Total |
150.79 |
155.85 |
179.27 |
204.67 |
238.61 |
16.58 |
100.00 |
|
|
Source: Sri Lanka Custom |
||||||||
Sri Lanka’s exports to China under APTA
|
Value in US$ Mn |
||||||||
|
HS |
Description |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Change in 2021 over 2020 (%) |
Share in 2021 (%) |
|
0902 |
Tea |
47.16 |
44.90 |
47.06 |
54.64 |
57.99 |
6.13 |
31.43 |
|
61+62 |
Apparel and clothing accessories |
32.72 |
33.51 |
43.14 |
47.84 |
51.02 |
6.64 |
27.66 |
|
530500 |
coconut (coir) Molded products |
21.35 |
15.16 |
15.95 |
20.77 |
25.21 |
21.36 |
13.66 |
|
380210 |
Activated carbon |
9.88 |
13.44 |
16.99 |
16.64 |
20.19 |
21.37 |
10.95 |
|
030389 |
Other fish, excluding livers and roes |
- |
1.33 |
1.61 |
1.90 |
4.78 |
151.64 |
2.59 |
|
030743 |
Cuttle fish : Frozen |
- |
- |
0.53 |
1.47 |
3.22 |
118.50 |
1.75 |
|
740321 |
Copper alloys : Copper-zinc base alloys (brass) |
- |
- |
0.18 |
2.93 |
3.20 |
9.31 |
1.74 |
|
400129 |
Natural rubber: Crepe rubber |
1.23 |
1.88 |
0.59 |
1.10 |
3.12 |
182.47 |
1.69 |
|
Other |
5.12 |
11.78 |
11.29 |
11.90 |
15.76 |
32.36 |
8.54 |
|
|
Total |
117.47 |
122.01 |
137.34 |
159.20 |
184.49 |
15.88 |
100.00 |
|
|
Source: Sri Lanka Custom |
||||||||
Sri Lanka’s exports to RoK under APTA
|
Value in US$ Mn |
||||||||
|
HS |
Description |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Change in 2021 over 2020 (%) |
Share in 2021 (%) |
|
61+62 |
Apparel and clothing accessories |
14.99 |
15.67 |
20.24 |
17.60 |
19.81 |
12.52 |
39.10 |
|
380210 |
Activated carbon |
3.84 |
4.55 |
4.05 |
5.59 |
7.87 |
40.74 |
15.54 |
|
401519 |
Gloves, mittens and mitts |
4.28 |
4.23 |
4.45 |
5.41 |
5.84 |
7.83 |
11.52 |
|
530500 |
coconut (coir) Molded products |
1.11 |
2.00 |
1.67 |
4.63 |
5.18 |
11.85 |
10.22 |
|
401699 |
Other articles of vulcanised rubber other than hard rubber |
0.01 |
0.10 |
0.02 |
0.97 |
1.96 |
101.86 |
3.86 |
|
0902 |
Tea |
1.31 |
1.16 |
1.54 |
1.53 |
1.63 |
6.84 |
3.23 |
|
Other |
4.98 |
4.83 |
6.80 |
6.05 |
8.38 |
38.49 |
16.55 |
|
|
Total |
30.52 |
32.54 |
38.77 |
41.79 |
50.66 |
21.24 |
100.00 |
|
|
Source: Sri Lanka Custom |
||||||||
Sri Lanka’s imports under APTA
|
Value in US$ Mn |
||||||||
|
HS |
Description |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Change in 2021 over 2020 (%) |
Share in 2021 (%) |
|
852872 |
Reception apparatus for television |
4.11 |
3.26 |
5.20 |
7.01 |
7.58 |
8.09 |
31.29 |
|
730890 |
prepared for use in structures, of iron or steel. |
4.42 |
4.96 |
4.64 |
5.40 |
5.89 |
9.10 |
24.32 |
|
841810 |
Combined refrigerater-freezers,fitted with separate external doors : Other |
- |
- |
0.17 |
0.61 |
2.31 |
276.95 |
9.53 |
|
841830 |
Freezers of the upright type |
1.29 |
1.34 |
0.93 |
0.55 |
1.80 |
228.58 |
7.42 |
|
853620 |
automatic circuit breakers |
2.05 |
0.37 |
1.51 |
2.09 |
1.76 |
(15.66) |
7.28 |
|
845210 |
- Sewing machines of the household type: --- other |
0.04 |
0.13 |
0.09 |
0.90 |
872.65 |
3.71 |
|
|
730490 |
Tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless, of iron or steel |
0.45 |
0.33 |
0.35 |
0.39 |
0.56 |
45.26 |
2.32 |
|
Other |
10.79 |
7.75 |
6.96 |
4.96 |
3.42 |
(30.90) |
14.14 |
|
|
Total |
23.15 |
18.00 |
19.88 |
21.10 |
24.22 |
14.82 |
100.00 |
|
|
Source: Sri Lanka Custom |
||||||||
