Trade between and among people is beautiful. What one does not need because he has surplus production, he can sell it and get those things he does not have but he needs, via purchase or via the old system of barter.
Countries and economies that trade more are more advanced, more developed compared to countries that are less friendly to more international trade.
That is why free trade has become a known policy and advocacy in many countries for centuries now. Import tariff rates have been declining significantly, down to zero for some economies like Hong Kong and Singapore.
This has been excerpted from the 9 September 2015 edition of Business World Online and is available in its entirety at:
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=non-tariff-trade-restrictions-in-asean&id=115029