Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Alix de SAINT VAULRY

CEPII

RE-EXPORTS AND RE-IMPORTSIN UN COMTRADE

2nd Meeting of the Working Party on International Trade in Goods & Services Statistics (WPTGS)

OECD, Paris, 16-18 November 2009

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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How many types of trade flows?

Before COMTRADE on line

1) Imports

2) Exports

3) possible Re-exports(not included in Exports)

In COMTRADE on line

1) Imports(including possible re-imports)

2) Exports(including possible re-exports)

3) possible Re-exports(included in Exports)

4) possible Re-imports(included in Imports)

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Definitions

• In COMTRADE on line Glossary presently:

• Re-exports are exports of foreign goods in the same state as previously imported;they are to be included in the country exports

• Re-imports are goods imported in the same state as previously exported;they are to be included in the country imports

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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In the same state

According to the countries, different criteria.Usually: no substantial processing,ie (Kyoto convention):

• change of tarif heading in a specified nomenclature, with a list of exceptions

• list of operations which confer (or not) upon the good the origin of the processing country

• ad valorem percentage rule (threshold for the percentage value of the materials utilized or for the percentage of the value added)

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Depending on the system of trade

Customs Procedure General Relaxed Special

Strict Special

Clearance for home use M M M Re-importation in the same state RM RM RM Outright exportation X X X Free zones M & (X or RX) - - Customs warehouses M & (X or RX) M & (X or RX)

in the case of industrial free zones

-

Customs transit - - - Transshipment - - - Carriage of goods coastwise - - - Inward processing M & (X or RX) M & (X or RX) - Outward processing X & (M or RM) X & (M or RM) - Drawback M & (X or RX) M & (X or RX) Adjustment M Processing of goods for home use M M M Temporary admission - - -

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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How many reporting countries?

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Percentage of countriesreporting re-exports and re-imports

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Part of RX and RM in World Trade

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Re-imports: mostly intra!

• More than 99% of RM come from... the country itself.

• Only 9 countries have « extra » RM.• Macao sometimes has up to 10% of its RM coming

from the rest of the world.• Afghanistan, Armenia, Chile, Cuba, Moldavia,

Aruba, Pakistan and Uganda have no « intra » RM.• Maximum of « extra » RM: 550 million US$ in 2005,

half of which (277) for Uganda.

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Re-imports: mostly China!

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Re-exports: Hong Kong, USA and others

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Questions (1)

• Re-imports before 2000:– is there no RM in reality? would they begin in 2000?– or were they included in imports? (but no intra seen)– or RM but not counted in imports?– by all means, discontinuity in 2000

• Intra re-imports (coming from the country itself):– problem of definition(s)?

• Missing countries:– Singapour, Netherlands, Germany...– do not report to UN their RM and RX– though up to 40% of their M (X)

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Questions (2)

• Domestic trade:– RX & RM: at least 3% of international trade counted twice

(if you want X from China to US, including via HK...)– pb of mirror flows: what do the partners report?– try to isolate domestic trade– but at a detailed level (sectoral and geographical

breakdown),– you can remove RM only from M (not from X)– and RX only from X (not for M)– so you get imbalances

Re-exports and re-imports in UN COMTRADE

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Questions (3)

• In COMTRADE:– more explanations on RM, in particular why intra?

(coming from the country itself)– retropolation for RM before 2000?

(detailed by products and partners if possible)– a dream: exhaustive series from 1962 onwards of

domestic exports and imports detailed by reporting country, partner and product

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Further possible fields of research

• RX of HK and USA detailed by partner and product• RM of China detailed by partner and product• Reports of partners• National statistics for HK, USA, China• and other countries (Singapour, Netherlands,

Germany...)• Eurostat: definitions, data• Typology of RX and RM (light processing, ...)• depending from the system of trade (table p. 5)

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THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTION

alix.saint-vaulry@cepii.fr