Loitongbam Bishwanjit Singh, Act East Policy, Free Trade Agreement and Economic Growth Potential of India-ASEAN. Akansha Publishing House, 2022, 275 pp. ISBN-10: 818370610X, ISBN-13: 978-8183706100.

Abstract

highest regional growth but lags behind other developed economies. There is huge room for improvement and the gap can be bridged by focusing on policy reforms. The biggest challenge, however, is trade regulations which are continuously evolving but lack transparency and predictability. Summing up, the report has discussed how economies in the Asia and the Pacific region, individually or collectively managed to contain the pandemic through aggressive vaccination rollouts, supportive fiscal and monetary policy and most importantly rapid digitalisation. The report repeatedly emphasises that regional cooperation is essential in fostering connectivity and building resilience to boost economic growth. The chapters have extensively covered the impact of the pandemic on trade, the financial sector, investment and digitalisation. The report, however, lacks a discussion on social development such as health, education, poverty and environmental issues. This report will be of interest to researchers and policymakers who are keen to learn more about the post-pandemic recovery and digital services trade in Asia and the Pacific.