Developing countries in Asia have a large stake in maintaining an open global system of trade and investment. The integration of the region into the world economy has been driven largely by market forces, particularly by private foreign direct investment and the related rise of intra-industry trade. When assessing the growth of Asia's trade and the respective roles of policy, technology and markets in influencing patterns of regional integration, a key conclusion that emerges is that technological change, markets and the private sector, particularly multinational firms and FDI, have been crucial in deepening integration. To date, empirical studies suggest that bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements have had only a limited impact on Asia’s integration process, the most significant liberalization efforts having been unilateral in character.