商务报刊选读1.pptx

World trade;into existence in 1995. It includes some useful stuff: by one estimate, cutting customs red tape could raise annual global output by $400 billion, with much of the gain flowing to developing economies. And it is a personal triumph for Roberto Azevêdo (pictured), the Brazilian who became the WTO’s director- general in September and who always insisted a deal was possible. Now Mr Azevêdo needs to make the most of his momentum.; The main lesson is not to repeat the sorry history of the Doha round. It has taken years of effort and several near-death experiences to produce this small success. The problem has been the WTO’s all-or-nothing approach of seeking a jumbo accord which has to be approved by all 159 members. In theory this is the way to ensure that trade liberalisation is truly global. In practice, with each country able to wield a veto, it is a recipe for deadlock—and for handing power to obstructionists. Last week’s deal was achieved only after the WTO lowered its sights and settled on a lowest-common-denominator part of the Doha agenda, leaving out more difficult topics such as farm trade and intellectual property. And even then an agreement was reached only when other parties caved in to demands from India, whose politicians stubbornly insisted on getting an indefinite exemption from WTO rules for its farm subsidies (see article).;Beyond Bali The action in the trade-liberalisation world these days is not inside the WTO but with regional agreements. The recent agreement in principle between the European Union and Canada is a pioneering example. Other big pacts under negotiation are the Trans-Pacific Partnership (involving a dozen countries including America and Japan, now sadly set to miss their end-2013 deadline) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between America and the EU. Even the long-moribund talks between the EU and Mercosur are showing signs of life (see article). Region