-
Ministers to Discuss Swiss ‘Checklist’ for Doha Talks at Davos Meeting
A new ‘checklist’ from Switzerland could provide a breath of fresh air for the WTO’s struggling Doha Round of trade talks, but some trade officials continue to doubt whether the organisation’s members will be able to meet a year-end goal for concluding the round. On Saturday, Swiss President Doris Leuthard will host an informal meeting of…
-
US Group Urges WTO Case to Bring down Chinese Internet Firewall
A California-based free speech group is exhorting the United States government to bring a WTO case against China’s policies on internet censorship. The call for a suit came one week after Google announced that it would no longer censor its content in China; the company also threatened to pull out of the country if Beijing…
-
WHO to Hold Meetings on Sharing Flu Virus Materials, R&D Expert Working Group
The WHO’s Executive Board (EB) meeting, which took place last week, decided to convene two important meetings before the next session of the World Health Assembly, the organisation’s supreme decision making-body, which will run from 17 to 22 May. The first meeting, an informal consultation, scheduled for 13 May, will discuss the report of the Expert…
- In Brief
-
Major Emerging Economies Stress Solidarity with Poorer Nations in Climate Talks
Environment ministers from Brazil, China, India and South Africa met in New Delhi on Monday to hash out their strategy for this year’s climate talks. The coalition of emerging economies - known as the BASIC bloc - called for quick delivery of aid to the world’s poorest countries and emphasised that it stands in solidarity…
-
New Reports from OECD, IMF Reveal a Recovering Economy
Trade flows in developed countries steadied in the second quarter of 2009 then began to grow in the third quarter, but trade levels are still much lower than in 2008, according to today’s release of quarterly trade data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The volume of exports from the Group of Seven…
-
Efforts to Stem Bird Flu to Target Illegal Poultry Trade in SE Asia
While swine flu has captured the limelight of the global health agenda, bird flu (H5N1) remains a serious threat, particularly in Southeast Asia. The illegal trade in poultry and poultry products across borders in this part of the world represents one pathway that the highly lethal disease is spread. “In Cambodia, illegal or informal trade occurs along…
- WTO in Brief
-
WTO Establishes Panel in US-China Tyre Dispute
The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body has set up a panel to review the US decision to impose new tariffs on Chinese tyre imports, the organisation announced last week. The panel was formed in response to China’s second request for WTO dispute settlement procedures, filed 9 December 2009. The dispute centres on new US tariffs on certain passenger…
-
WTO Panel Rules against US in Thai Anti-Dumping Case
A WTO dispute settlement panel has ruled on an anti-dumping dispute between Bangkok and Washington that concerns polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs), or “t-shirt sacks, merchandise bags, grocery bags, or checkout bags.” In a decision released on 22 January, the panel concluded that a US Department of Commerce (USDOC) anti-dumping investigation constituted ‘zeroing’ and was…
-
Further Liberalisation Can Help Malaysia Ensure Economic Growth: TPR
Malaysia experienced steady economic growth from 2005 through 2007 but its economy began to slow in 2008 and contracted even more rapidly in 2009, according to the WTO’s Trade Policy Review (TPR) that was released this week. Malaysia’s real GDP registered 6.2 percent growth in 2007 but only 4.6 percent in 2008. Exports decreased sharply in…
- Events
-
Events
27-31 January, Davos, Switzerland. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ANNUAL MEETING. In response to new priorities, the organising theme for the 40th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2010 is a call to action, “Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign and Rebuild.” Driving the rethink at the 40th Annual Meeting will be the Network of…
- Resources
-
Resources
COMBATING ILLEGAL FISHING IN THE EU: INTERACTION WITH WTO RULES. By Heike Baumüller. Chatham House, January 2010. This briefing paper assesses the WTO implications of the two new EU fishing regulations that entered into force on 1 January 2010. Their aim is to establish a comprehensive system to close the European market to imports of…