Analysis of the Logistics Patterns of Korea's Free Economic Zones in Northeast Asia and the Implications
The logistics patterns of Korea are analyzed in order to elaborate the strategies of Korean Free Economic Zones (FEZs) in relation to Northeast Asian logistics hubs. As the surface transportation of Korea, China, and Japan is cut off by geographical features and by political borders, this paper confines the scope of analysis to air and maritime transportation. From this analysis in the east Asian region, an attempt is made to understand the cargo flow from and to Korean airports and ports by region and commodity types, thereby identifying the main counterpart regions of trade by commodity and mode. The policy implications for the development strategy of Korean FEZs (Incheon, Busan, and Gwangyang) are described from these analyses.
CLASSIFICATION OF CONTAINER PORTS ON THE BASIS OF NETWORKS
Ports have always functioned as loading centres for cargo, and although historically many ports were pivotal to international trade, many others also failed to sustain their role over time. Hub ports such as the ports of London after the era of the Industrial Revolution, the New York port and the port of Kobe in Japan each experienced a downturn of their status after an impressive debut in international trade. However, to determine the factors which raise the profiles of ports as centres of international trade and as hubs is not a straightforward analytical exercise. A major challenge for researchers nowadays is to pinpoint and analyze the relationship between a port and its region in view of economic activity. From this perspective, our particular concern in this work is to explore the function and classification of container ports and port cities in relation to the networks that connect them inland and outward.
Foreign Direct Investment in China: Some Lessons for Other Countries
China's increasing openness to foreign direct investment (FDI) has contributed importantly to its exceptional growth performance. This paper examines China's experience with FDI and identifies some lessons for other countries. Most of the factors explaining China's success have also been important in attracting FDI to other countries: market size, labor costs, quality of infrastructure, and government policies. FDI has contributed to higher investment and productivity growth, and has created jobs and a dynamic export sector. China's success, however, did not come without some pitfalls: an increasingly complex tax incentive system and growing regional income disparities. Accession to the WTO should broaden China's "opening up" policies and continue FDI's contributions to China's economy in the future.