East Asian economies – Singapore and Hong Kong SAR – occupy the top two positions in the Enabling Trade Index ranking, followed by Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, according to the the World Economic Forum's Global Enabling Trade Report 2009. Canada, Norway, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands complete the top-10 list. The results mirror the openness of Singapore and Hong Kong SAR to international trade and investment as part of their successful economic development strategy.

Both economies have put into place highly efficient border administrations and supportive business environments. They are endowed with well-developed transport and telecommunications infrastructures ensuring rapid transit to final destination. These attributes are further supported by business environments that are conducive to trade.

The United States benefits from a conducive business environment, as well as excellent infrastructure. The US position is weakened by restricted access to markets and concerns about costs to business resulting from crime, violence and terrorism. China performs well with respect to transport services and has swift import-export procedures, but trade development is held back by highly restricted access to its markets.

The Global Enabling Trade Report 2009 is launched at a crucial time for global trade, as overall economic activity declines, trade volumes drop and public authorities adopt counter-cyclical stimulus policies and institutional reforms. The report serves as a timely reminder of the risks of protectionism and of the widespread prosperity and poverty reduction associated with the expansion of international trade in the years leading up to 2008.

Watch interviews with the authors below and download the full report here: http://tr.im/getr09