June 7, 2010
IN THIS ALERT:
Save the date! Global Services Summit to be held on September 22, 2010
The Global Services Summit will be held on September 22, 2010 at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Washington, DC. United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk will make the keynote address, and New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser will be among the speakers. Topics will include business and government perspectives on expanding services trade and investment, and the emerging commercial architecture in Asia. Online registration and additional details will be available on the CSI website shortly. |
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APEC Trade Ministers Call for Doha Conclusion
In a statement issued at the conclusion of their June 5-6 meeting in Sapporo, Japan, trade ministers from APEC members "reaffirmed our resolve to seek an ambitious, balanced, and prompt conclusion to the DDA," and said that they are "deeply concerned about the current impasse of the negotiations. We shared the recognition that, in order to further the negotiations, it is essential to accelerate the exercise to find an agreeable balance of interests, and strengthen political engagement at all levels toward a final decision. A final package will command consensus only if it delivers meaningful new trade opportunities in all areas as well as substantial reductions in trade distortions." The minister's statement called for continued vigilance against protectionist measures, and said that "We remain committed to rejecting all forms of protectionism, keeping our markets open, and taking steps to rollback trade distorting measures introduced during the crisis." For a copy of the APEC Trade Minister's Statement, click here.
Peterson Institute Update: Trade Agenda for the G-20
The Peterson Institue for International Economics recently released a paper addressing how trade figures into the agenda of the upcoming G-20 Summit. The paper highlights the G-20's 2008 effort to advance and conclude the Doha Round by 2010. The paper says that it is imperative to devote attention and political capital to keeping trade agreements from stagnating, with major challenges including resistance by some members of the U.S. Congress to restructuring the U.S. Farm Bill, the relationship between trade legislation and climate legislation, and trade taking a back seat to the ongoing turmoil in the financial markets.
To read the full paper, click here.
WTO Background Papers on Service Industries
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade in Services Division has released a series of updated background papers over the last several months focusing on global trends in and developments in a variety of service industries. The service industries covered include architecture, audio-visual, computer and related, construction, education, energy, financial services, modes 1&2, mode 4, telecommunications, and tourism. For your reference, the links to each paper follow below:
Architectural: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W303.doc
Audio-visual: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W310.doc
Computer and related: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W300.doc
Construction: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W302.doc
Education services: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/s/c/w313.doc
Energy: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W311.doc
Financial services: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/FIN/W73.doc
Modes 1 and 2: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W304.doc
Mode 4: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W301.doc
Telecoms: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W299.doc
Tourism: http://docsonline.wto.org/DDFDocuments/t/S/C/W298.doc |