In The News

Trade May Decline by a Third: WTO

Philip Blenkinsop, April 15, 2020
The economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts supply chains and could reduce trade by up to a third. The World Trade Organization predicts a range between 13 and 32 percent, “a wide range because so much about the economic impact of the health crisis was uncertain,” reports Philip Blenkinsop for the World Economic Forum and Reuters. At the height of the 2009 debt crisis, trade dropped...

US Agriculture Is Victim of Broken WTO: Agri-Pulse

Bill Tomson January 18, 2020
Members of the World Trade Organization, 25 years old, express concerns about processes. The WTO can no longer settle disputes of 164 members after the Trump administration blocked appointments of appellate judges to the body that decides cases. The body has one of three minimum judges; dozens of cases are now on hold. “The U.S. ag sector is keen to see suits filed that would challenge the...

Japan, US, EU Propose WTO Subsidy Rules: Jiji

January 16, 2020
The European Union, the United States and Japan are proposing that the World Trade Organization enact new restrictions on industrial subsidies. Analysts see China as the target and suggest that foreign firms cannot compete in China with firms that receive the subsidies. “The three economies hope to win support for the proposal from a wide range of WTO members in the buildup to a ministerial...

Indonesia, EU and Palm Oil: Jakarta Post

Made Anthony Iswara December 29, 2019
The European Union labeles some palm oil as unsustainable, responsible for high rates of deforestation. Indonesia has filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization over EU renewable energy policy. The European Union plans to phase out use of biofuels by 2030, and Indonesia officials express concern that EU policy could “tarnish the image of palm oil products in global trade.” The EU insists...

Wrecking the WTO: Times of India

Nayan Chanda December 18, 2019
US President Donald Trump seeks partners in his push to rebalance global trade, reduce global agreements with environmental and other constraints, and build US influence based on power rather than cooperative alliances. He views the UK’s Boris Johnson as a likeminded leader, after an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections all but ensures Britain’s speedy exit from the European Union....

UK-US Trade Deal Not Easy: JD Supra

Sophie Berner-Eyde July 29, 2019
US President Donald Trump has suggested that he and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have plans for a “very substantial” trade deal. The UK cannot negotiate a trade deal until after it leaves the European Union, scheduled for October 31. “UK-U.S. preliminary talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) spanning the last two years, however, have failed to show any meaningful progress and are...

WTO and New World Order: Diplomat

Valbona Zeneli and Michael R. Czinkota February 15, 2019
With more than 160 members, the World Trade Organization describes itself as the only global organization dealing with the rules of trade among nations. “The outsourcing revolution has affected the developing world in a major way: global manufacturing and new services have dramatically changed supply chains; corporate espionage and intellectual property infringements supported many corporate...