BEIJING, July 29, 2022

Does Poor Infrastructure Hamper Trade Liberalization?

There is a large body of work that points to the beneficial effects of international trade. However, we continue to observe tariff barriers, especially in developing economies. From the literature, there is also some evidence that trade liberalization in developing economies can sometimes lead to bigger trade deficits. Many developing economies are also slow to liberalize trade. In our paper “Infrastructure Quality and Trade Liberalization”, we provide some evidence that poor infrastructure could be the root cause that hampers trade liberalization.

Our thinking is as follows. When tariffs are high, there would be little trade, and poor infrastructure would not matter that much. However, when tariffs are reduced, countries with poorer infrastructure begin to face an exporting disadvantage against countries with better infrastructure, and that would begin to show up more readily as negative trade balances. We worked with an extension of the trade gravity model, embedded infrastructure quality into it, and tested its prediction using trade data. We find evidence that indeed, countries with poorer infrastructure see larger bilateral trade deficits against those with better infrastructure, post liberalization.

The chart below summarizes the study. The X-axis records the infrastructure score differences (using principal component of roads and ports) between bilateral trade partners, while the Y-axis records the bilateral trade balance. The positive correlation shows that those economies with a positive gap against trade partners tend to have a trade surplus, while those economies with a negative infrastructure gap against trade partners tend to have a trade deficit. Over large samples involving many bilateral pairs, the pattern holds, as summarized in the bin scatter plot. Our regressions confirm this relationship, and that the bilateral trade imbalances become wider post liberalization.

The key conclusion we bring is that poor infrastructure can hurt trade outcomes, especially post liberalization. This may explain why developing economies are reluctant to liberalize. The key message we bring is that infrastructure development needs to complement trade liberalization, in order for developing economies to benefit more fully from trade.

The full working paper Infrastructure Quality and Trade Liberalization is available under AIIB Working Papers on the Bank’s website.

AUTHORS

Jang Ping Thia

Manager, Economics, AIIB

SEND AN EMAIL

Anne Ong Lopez

Investment Operations Specialist – Transport, AIIB

SEND AN EMAIL
More Blog Articles

Beijing, August 29, 2025

Embedding Transparency at Our Core: AIIB’s Inaugural Sustainability Report

At AIIB, our mission to finance Infrastructure for Tomorrow is inseparable from our commitment to transparency. This month we took a decisive step forward in our mandate with the release of our inaugural Sustainability Report, which voluntarily applies the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) disclosure requirements. This is more than a reporting milestone. It is a clear signal to our members, investors and partners that AIIB is committed to consistent, comparable and credible information on how climate-related risks and opportunities shape our work.

READ MORE

Beijing, August 27, 2025

AIIB Reaffirms Commitment to Landlocked Developing Countries at UN Conference in Turkmenistan

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) reaffirmed its commitment to boosting sustainable infrastructure and connectivity in landlocked emerging and developing economies at this month’s Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in Awaza, Turkmenistan.

READ MORE

Beijing, August 20, 2025

Unlocking Private Capital in Bangladesh

One clear message from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) 10th Annual Meeting held in Beijing in June – attended by over 3,500 participants from around the world – was that unlocking private capital is critical for inclusive and sustainable growth.

READ MORE

Beijing, August 01, 2025

“Connecting for Development, Collaborating for Prosperity”: AIIB’s 10th Annual Meeting Champions Collaboration for the Future

The 10th Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Board of Governors was held in Beijing June 24-26, 2025. As AIIB approaches its 10th anniversary, this year’s meeting served as a fitting platform to reflect on the Bank’s progress and set the stage for future partnerships. Public seminars, Marketplace sessions, and signing ceremonies reflected the theme, “Connecting for Development, Collaborating for Prosperity,” underscoring the central role of cooperation in infrastructure development and sustainable growth.

READ MORE