The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday urged Asian countries to reduce non-tariff barriers and deepen regional trade integration to lessen their vulnerability to US tariffs and global financial shocks. Trade has been a key driver of Asia’s economic growth, with China serving as the central hub for global goods production — a position that exposes the region to disruptions from US-China trade tensions and President Trump’s tariffs, the IMF said in its regional economic outlook report for Asia. Rising trade frictions with the US, coupled with an investment boom in artificial intelligence, have fueled intra-regional trade in Asia. “If Asia integrates more within the region, that itself provides you a buffer against external shocks,” Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, told Reuters. Asia is highly integrated in intermediate goods trade, with about 60% of total exports made within the region.