Transport bottlenecks hamper Asian trade

When the largest trade finance bank in the region reports a 23% rise in trade turnover in 2004, things are clearly looking good. "After six years of deflation we are now seeing renewed growth in trade in Hong Kong," says Alistair Currie, HSBC's head of trade services Asia-Pacific. "And a lot of our smaller areas like Bangladesh and others around the region are growing too. Trade business is very robust in Asia at the moment," says Currie.