ADB says transit trade remains limited by poor transport/border infrastructure and costly cross-border services.
Source
ADB — https://www.adb.org/projects/48404-004/main. Verified in source set / retroactive normalization pending.
What it proves
Geography is potential; institutions convert it into geoeconomics.
How to deploy: Use ADB says transit trade remains limited by poor transport/border infrastructure and costly cross-border services. (ADB says transit trade remains limited by poor transport/border infrastructure and costly cross-border services., None) to support the claim that Geography is potential; institutions convert it into geoeconomics.
What it does not prove: ADB names transport/border infrastructure and costly cross-border services as constraints, but does not quantify the cost penalty or show that removing it would generate volumes — demand depends on Afghan and Central Asian trade, border closures and security, none of which a customs upgrade fixes. Note too that 'cross-border services' means freight, clearing and logistics firms, a sector where more than 85% of Pakistani employment is informal.
Memory hook: Transit trade limited → borders and brokers, not maps, price the corridor
Rebuts the claim: "Once the roads are built, regional trade will follow" — ADB identifies the binding constraint as border process and service costs, not tarmac.