According to the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Trends briefs issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on December 22, global international trade value is estimated to dip by 14.5% in 2020, due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with increasing trade tensions and an already slowing global economy. The trade value in the Asia-Pacific is estimated to shrink by 1.9%, and the Asia-Pacific is expected to perform better than the rest of the world during 2020. COVID-19 has also had an immediate and severe effect on foreign direct investment (FDI). In the first three quarters of 2020, FDI dropped by 40% compared to the same period in 2019. Lockdown measures were responsible for delayed and canceled investment projects in 2020. FDI is expected to remain below pre-crisis levels throughout 2021. It is worth noting that the beliefs mentioned that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed this year may help FDI bounce back in the recovery period, especially for smaller and least developed countries in the group. In 2020, the Asia-Pacific Region’s prominence in merchandise trade is expected to rise to an all-time high this year accounting for 41.8% of the world’s exports and 38.2% of global imports, up from 39.9 percent and 36.9 percent a year ago. The Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Armida Alisjahbana, called on Asia-Pacific countries to work hard to formulate a set of better trade rules to make the Asia-Pacific region more resilient in times of crisis and promote inclusive and green sustainable economic recovery. Merchandise trade volumes are expected to rebound in 2021, however, the economic recovery in 2021 may be a sluggish one due to fhigh unemployment rate, deflation, indebtedness and geopolitical tensions, the report said.