Russias WTO accession(US perspective)教程.pdf

Russia’s Accession to the WTO and Its Implications for the United States William H. Cooper Specialist in International Trade and Finance June 15, 2012 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 R42085 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Russia’s Accession to the WTO and Its Implications for the United States Summary In 1993, Russia formally applied for accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). In 1995, its application was taken up by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the successor organization of the GATT. Russia is the largest economy not in the WTO; after a number of fits and starts during the 18-year process, the then-153 members of the WTO, on December 16, 2011, invited Russia to join the WTO during the Ministerial Conference in Geneva. The Russian parliament must approve the conditions for accession by July 23, 2012, to complete the accession process. Russia would formally become a member 30 days later. The parliament is expected to take up the measure beginning on July 4. The immediate policy issue for Congress will be whether to enact legislation authorizing the President to grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status for Russia, a status that all WTO members are required to provide each other. Some Members of Congress have indicated that they view congressional consideration of PNTR legislation as the opportunity to ensure that the conditions on which Russia is invited to join the WTO address U.S. concerns. On June 12, 2012, Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill (S. 3285) with bipartisan co-sponsorship to authorize PNTR for R