This divergence in the regional focus becomes even more apparent when Asia is viewed as a whole. This is because Switzerland maintains far closer trade ties with Asia’s industrialised countries than the EU does, particularly with the four Asian tiger economies of Hong Kong,  6  The USD value of goods exports to developing and emerging economies (excluding the tiger economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) has grown by an average of 7.5% since 1990, i.e. it has quadrupled. Goods exports to industrialised counties increased by 4.7% annually during the same period, representing an increase by a factor of only 2.5. 7  From 1990 to 2008, the GDP of developing and emerging economies rose by an average of almost 8% (China alone grew by more than 10%). The GDP of the EU15, by contrast, rose by just 1.9% on average (US: 2.7%). 8  The USD value of Swiss goods exports to emerging Asia (excluding the tiger economies) has grown by an average of 9.1% since 1990 (since 2000: 18%). The corresponding growth rates for Germany amounted to 11.4% (since 2000: 17.8%), and for the EU, 9.6% (since 2000: 13.6%). 9  Including intra-EU trade. BIS Review 157/2010  3  Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Overall, Switzerland’s share of exports to Asia, including Japan, came to 15% last year – more than twice the EU average. 10 Furthermore, Switzerland is one of the few European countries – alongside Ireland, Sweden and Finland – to run a trade surplus with Asia.
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