In The News

A Promise Not Kept

Paul Blustein June 30, 2006
Few can deny that the wealthiest nations have an edge over poor countries when it comes to trade – and many economists argue that opening US and European markets to agricultural goods from small nations could substantially reduce poverty. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has repeatedly tried to address the inequities since 2001, with its Doha round of talks. Reducing farm tariffs and subsidies...

The Law of the Spirits

Andrew Morgan June 30, 2006
Good cooks like to experiment. But vodka producers in the Nordic, Polish and Baltic markets want to restrict ingredients for vodka production to two raw products: cereals or potatoes. Such are the issues that have posed obstacles for negotiators throughout the Doha round of trade talks. The regulation would prevent other producers whose alcohol comes from fruit or molasses from marketing their...

Chinese Premier Boosts Trade with Seven-Nation Africa Tour

Rory Carroll June 29, 2006
Chinese foreign policy officials have dubbed 2006 “the Year of Africa,” a policy in action as Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, visits with leaders of seven countries on the continent. While Africa’s natural resources pose the most obvious interest for the Chinese, Wen will also conduct talks on issues as varied as nuclear power, textile imports, regional alliances, and investment and trade. African...

Arcelor Deal With Mittal Creates New Steel Giant

Heather Timmons June 28, 2006
Despite vigorous protest, a global steel giant emerges, now that the controversial merger between India’s Mittal Steel and Luxembourg-based Arcelor is signed and sealed. Arcelor executives and even European government officials rejected the original Mittal offer with stinging insults that revealed the anxieties behind Europe’s protectionist trend. Difficult negotiations followed, leading to a bid...

Amid Competition, India Cools To Expansion by Chinese Firms

Peter Wonacott June 27, 2006
China and India have the world’s most rapidly expanding economies, and any trade partnerships between the two serve as powerful counterweights to the other’s ties with the US. Some in India, however, are wary of Chinese incursion into strategic industries. India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board has passed on issuing trading licenses to some Chinese firms, and officials in Beijing have been...

Southeast Asia’s New Best Friend

Tyler Marshall June 22, 2006
While the US focuses on its expansive “war on terror,” Chinese trade in Southeast Asia grows rapidly, jumping by 20 percent in 2005, more than twice the US rate. Rather than disdain other Asian cultures, China reaches out to overseas ethnic Chinese to celebrate a mutual heritage. The nation’s influence is revealed by Thailand’s increasing exports to China, Manila museums celebrating Chinese-...

Plan B for Plurilateralists

Bernard K. Gordon June 22, 2006
The current round of the World Trade Organization’s Doha conference has become hopelessly stalled, bringing into relief a split between what some call the “can do” and the “won't do” nations. Political scientist Bernard K. Gordon posits that the current US administration will not settle for a limited multilateral agreement that could likely result from the WTO talks. Instead, he sees the...