Regional Cooperation and Integration

Free Trade: Untangling Asia’s Noodle Bowl

Trade liberalization initiatives have blossomed across Asia and the Pacific, creating a convoluted 'noodle bowl' of overlapping free trade agreements. Read More

Improved Tajikistan Road Changes Lives

The travel time between Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic has been reduced, which is improving access to social services and boosting trade and cooperation in Central Asia. Watch Video

Customs for Connectivity: CAREC

Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, Kunio Mikuriya, talks about the need for harmonized customs procedures and practices to boost trade connectivity and promote economic growth in the CAREC region. Watch Video

ASEAN Nations Complete First-Ever Corporate Governance Scorecard

A new report compiles corporate governance assessments of publicly listed companies in six countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, using the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard. Read More

Overview

Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) is a process by which national economies become more interconnected regionally. RCI plays a critical role in accelerating economic growth, reducing poverty and economic disparity, raising productivity and employment, and strengthening institutions. It narrows development gaps between ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs) by building closer trade integration, intraregional supply chains, and stronger financial links, enabling slow-moving economies to speed their own expansion.