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WTO says protectionism is still a risk - read John Miller's article in the WSJ
'WTO Has Obstacles to Trade In Retreat'
WTO says it is still a risk, but some governments are opening up
A review of the WTO/OECD/UNCTAD Report by John. W. Miller of the Wall Street Journal (08 March 2010)
Protectionism by national governments began to decline in the fourth quarter of 2009 but remains a major threat to the global economy, according to a World Trade Organization report.
The document, co-written by officials from the WTO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations, will be sent Monday to the governments of the Group of 20 leading nations. A copy was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The 85-page paper is an attempt by the Geneva-based WTO to temper what its officials say are overly pessimistic reports in the media of a rising tide of tariffs, ...
Read the full report here
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'Brakes applied to protectionist surge' - Alan Beattie (FT) reviews the WTO/OECD/UNCTAD report
Brakes applied to protectionist surge
By Alan Beattie (Financial Times) in London
8 March 2010
The number of new restrictions on international trade has slowed sharply, according to an official study commissioned by the G20 group of governments, suggesting that a feared surge of protectionism has not arrived.
The report, by the World Trade Organisation and two other official agencies, said that new import-restricting measures imposed over the past six months by G20 countries had affected at most 0.7 per cent of G20 goods imports, or 0.4 per cent of world imports – around half the increase in the previous six months.
Critics have argued that those traditional measures do not capture the extent of so-called “murky protectionism”, or less obvious actions, such as financial or car industry bail-outs, that have protectionist potential....
The most recent Global Trade Alert report, published last month, said there had been a wide variety of worrying measures such as new Chinese restrictions on foreigners bidding for high-tech state contracts, Washington’s use of the “Buy American” home procurement rules or a raft of restrictive policies implemented by Russia.
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An article of an important Brazilian newspaper cites GTA ranking of the countries most affected by protectionist measures.
The newspaper article from “Jornal do Brasil” (February, 5th) talks about the trade barriers adopted by several countries. It cites China and European Union as the most affected countries, at first and second places, respectively, and Brazil as the number 7 of the list.
Website: JB Online
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GTA is mentioned in an article in “Valor Econômico”, one of the most important Brazilian newspapers specializing in economics with broad coverage of international trade.
The newspaper article was published on February, 8th. It talks about the increased commercial tension between China and the United States. The author, Mr. Assis Moreira said that according to Global Trade Alert (GTA), the world's largest exporter of goods (China), is the most affected by protectionism in international trade.
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Financial Times Deutschland, Dow Jones Newswires, and Reuters News cover GTA's Fourth Report
The launch of the Global Trade Alert's fourth report was covered in several international news sources, including Financial Times Deutschland, Dow Jones Newswires, and Reuters News. Russian and Chinese news sources highlighted the findings of our fourth report.
Some of the relevant news articles are:
Financial Times Deutschland, "EU verteidigt Handelsbarrieren," 19 February 2010
Dow Jones Newswires, "Despite Global Recovery, Protectionism Unabated - Report," 18 February 2010.
Reuters News, "Protectionist policies continue despite recovery-website," 18 February 2010.
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Will Stabilisation Limit Protectionism? The 4th GTA Report
After the tumult of the first half of 2009 many economies stabilised and some even began to recover in the last quarter of 2009. Using information compiled through to late January 2010, this the fourth report of the Global Trade Alert examines whether macroeconomic stabilisation has altered governments resort to protectionism. Has economic recovery advanced enough so that national policymakers now feel little or no pressure to restrict international commerce? Or is the recovery so nascent that governments continue to discriminate against foreign commercial interests, much as they did during the darker days of 2009? The answers to these questions will determine what contribution exports and the world trading system are likely to play in fostering growth during 2010.
The contents of this Report will be of interest to trade policymakers and other government officials and to commercial associations, non-governmental organisations, and analysts following developments in world trading system.
Executive Summary
Section 1: Global Overview and Perspectives on the Gulf Region
- The Global Overview: Has Stabilisation Affected The Landscape of Crisis-Era Protectionism?
- GCC Industrial Exports and the Controversy Over Domestic Energy and Feedstock Pricing
- The Gulf Food Import Dependence and Trade Restrictions of Agro Exporters in 2008
- The Evolving Trade and Investment Relations between East Asia and the Gulf From Oil Dependency to Free Trade Agreements/a>
- Gulf-South Asia Economic Relations: Realities and Prospects
- The Consequences of Intra-Regional Instability and Conflict for Gulf Trade Flows
Section 2: Country-by-Country Reports
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China Complains to WTO About EU Tariffs (WSJ uses GTA data)
Wall Street Journal:
(FEBRUARY 5, 2010)
China Complains to WTO About EU Tariffs
Petition Against Antidumping Duties on Shoes Extends Fight Against What Beijing Says Is Unfair Protectionism
By John W. Miller (at john.miller@dowjones.com)
China filed a complaint against European Union shoe tariffs at the World Trade Organization on Thursday, as Beijing continued its legal assault on what it says is unfair Western protectionism.
China's exports have been growing since the 1990s, particularly after the country joined the WTO in 2001. Eight years later, China passed Germany to become the world's top exporter. That status comes with a price: China is now the leading target for protectionist measures, according to Global Trade Alert, an independent monitor.
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GTA at Davos 2010: Swiss President cites data from our Third report.
On 27 January 2010, in a speech titled "Rhetoric and Reality," the Swiss President made the following remarks:
"However, I see a rift opening up between rhetoric and reality:...
....
2. On protectionism, the G20 leaders' rhetoric was to fight protectionism and remain committed to bringing the Doha Round to a successful conclusion in 2010.
The reality, however, is different. Global Trade Alert tells us that between November 2008 and December 2009, G20 countries alone were responsible for 184 of a global total of 297 discriminatory trade measures. And as far as the Doha round is concerned, progress has been made, but we are still waiting for the great break-through...."
The full text of the speech is available at: http://www.news.admin.ch/message/?lang=en&msg-id=31307
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GTA mentioned in new IMF Online Survey on Trade Growth in 2010
On 13 January 2009 the IMF launched an Online Survey on the contribution that open markets, including the conclusion of the Doha Round, could make to trade growth in 2010. Both the GTA and WTO monitoring reports on protectionism are mentioned. The IMF invites readers to post their own comments. Information about this online survey can be found at:
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2010/SurveyartB.htm
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Economist cites GTA evidence in recent article on emerging markets
In an article titled "Counting Their Blessings," published on 30 December 2009 in the print edition of The Economist, reference was made to the latest GTA rankings of countries according to measures of harm done by their state measures that discriminate against foreign commercial interests. Those rankings were originally reported in the GTA's Third Report Unrelenting Protectionism.
The URL for The Economist's article is http://www.economist.com/world/international/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=15172941
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