Assessing trade facilitation implementation in the era of e-commerce: a comparative analysis of Jordan, Oman and Hong Kong, China

The emergence of e-commerce is driving important changes in the ways of conducting international trade. It has become clear that improvements in trade facilitation implementation should be supported by electronic systems. Through a comparative study of a number of reports issued by international organizations – the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Bank – on topics of e-commerce, logistics and trade facilitation, we examined the status and performance of Jordan, Oman and Hong Kong, China. Based on this analysis, Hong Kong, China, shows one of the best practices of modern trade facilitation and customs, and we found that governmental willingness is influential in expediting trade facilitation provisions. Jordan and Oman recently made trade reforms to improve trade facilitation, but they still need to bridge the gap between policy and actual practice in all governmental organizations in terms of trade facilitation and e-commerce, as well as build citizens’ capacity. By improving the implementation of trade facilitation measures and increasing e-commerce capacity as Hong Kong, China, has done, Jordan and Oman will succeed through trade prosperity driven by the global digital economy.