This paper discusses the recent regional trade agreements that China has concluded rapidly following accession to the WTO in 2002. Agreements are in place with Hong Kong, Macao, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand, and are either in negotiation or under discussion with South Africa, Chile, India...

We analyze the economic costs of national security related border delays in a Baumol-Tobin inventory theoretic framework. We show that there are social costs induced by behavioural responses to the delays, in addition to time costs at the border.