(Ecns.cn)--Economic losses from technical barriers to trade (TBT) set up by other countries are rising by 15 percent on average every year, with direct losses hitting $58.2 billion last year, reported the Guangzhou Daily on Sunday.
According to the Guangdong General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, Guangdong, one of the most severely affected provinces, suffered a direct economic loss of $24.1 billion yuan in 2008, accounting for about half of the country's total losses.
Chen Quan, director at the WTO/TBT Notification, Consultation & Research Center of Guangdong Province, revealed that ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are now creating more technical barriers, instead of tariff and quota restrictions.
"Requirements of technical regulations are more sophisticated and stringent now," Chen said, adding that "rice exported to Japan has to go through 579 tests."
