WTO Meeting

American President Donald Trump has announced imposing reciprocal tariffs on its major trading partners including China that levy higher import duties on goods shipped from the United States. He has already announced a 25 per cent duty on steel and aluminium imports, which will come into effect from March 12. While announcing the new tariff policy, the president has also spoken about how India is "right at the top of the pack" when it comes to tariffs. With all these countries being members of the global trade body World Trade Organisation (WTO), the decisions of the US may challenge the WTO principles. A list of Q & As (questions and answers) to explain the wider implications of the US move: Q. What is WTO? A. The 166-member Geneva-based WTO is a multilateral body which formulates rules for global trade and adjudicates disputes between the countries. Its main objective is to promote smooth, predictable and free flow of goods. Both India and the US have been members since ...

Countries agree to renew the e-commerce moratorium until next ministerial

Emphasisng the importance of securing their well-being, Goyal stated, "I think that India has successfully delivered on the issues that were our role and has achieved the outcomes that we expected"

On the 5th day of the ministerial meeting, most ministers had already gone home, although India's trade minister Piyush Goyal and European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis remained until the end

The WTO talks failed to secure deals on other contentious trade issues including a crackdown on agriculture and fisheries subsidies

A draft agriculture deal showed that a key reform sought by India on permitted government support levels for farmers was still not agreed, with two alternative solutions sitting side by side

The meeting of the highest decision making body of the WTO on Friday entered the fifth day with key members including India, the US and EU holding talks to iron out differences on issues such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and duty moratorium on e-commerce trade. The 13h ministerial conference (MC), which was to end on February 29, extended for a day as developing and developed nations were unable to find a common ground on these key issues. The members are talking to end the impasse and so far things have not moved much, an official said. "There are nine countries in the Green Room meeting including Brazil and China. The negotiations have been extended as WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is pushing for outcomes," the official said. However, officials here are not sounding positive so far about bridging the differences and coming out with a ministerial declaration, which is a must for the success of the conference. India has clearly stated that finding a permanent solution to t

The final gathering, pushed back for a second time, is now set for 2 p.m. Abu Dhabi time - past the original end of Thursday evening

India demands end to customs duties moratorium on e-commerce, says it impacts developing countries

Says such matters should be addressed in intergovernmental organisations

The head of the World Trade Organisation warned on Monday that war, uncertainty and instability are weighing down the global economy and urged the bloc to embrace reform as elections across nearly half the world's population could bring new challenges. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala sought to offer some praise for her organisation as it held its binneial meeting in the United Arab Emirates, even as it faces pressure from the United States and other nations. But she was blunt about the risks ahead, as higher prices for food, energy and other essentials sting people's pockets, fuelling political frustration. People everywhere are feeling anxious about the future and this will be felt at the ballot box this year, she said. None are perhaps more critical for the WTO than the US presidential election on November 5. Running again is former President Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw the US from the WTO and repeatedly levied tariffs taxes on imported goods on perceived

Farmers under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) are all set to launch a nationwide tractor procession on highways on Monday

The document emphasises the role of parliamentarians in ratifying bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that enhance and oversee the facilitation of global trade in all industries

From the outside, it's easy to think of India as an undifferentiated mass of individuals with leaders who turn up in places such as Abu Dhabi to reject everything the rest of the world suggests

The global trading rules agreed at the conclusion of the Uruguay round of negotiations at Marrakesh in April 1994 that led to the establishment of the WTO have largely remained unchanged

WTO draft text proposes to 'agree, adopt' a binding framework until next meet

Since late last century and the early days of the web, providers of digital media like Netflix and Spotify have had a free pass when it comes to international taxes on films, video games and music that are shipped across borders through the internet. But now, a global consensus on the issue may be starting to crack. As the World Trade Organisation opens its latest biannual meeting of government ministers Monday, its longtime moratorium on duties on e-commerce products which has been renewed almost automatically since 1998 is coming under pressure as never before. This week in Abu Dhabi, the WTO's 164 member countries will take up a number of key issues: Subsidies that encourage overfishing. Reforms to make agricultural markets fairer and more eco-friendly. And efforts to revive the Geneva-based trade body's system of resolving disputes among countries. All of those are tall orders, but the moratorium on e-commerce duties is perhaps the matter most in play. It centres on electroni

India on Friday expressed hope that other countries will come to the WTO meet in Abu Dhabi with a positive attitude and listen to the concerns of developing nations for providing free and fair solutions to their problems. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also said that though the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has played an important role in setting robust rules for global trade, there are significant problems in the organisation. Trade ministers of 164 countries will gather in Abu Dhabi, UAE from February 26 to discuss a range of issues pertaining to areas such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and a moratorium on imposing customs duty on e-commerce trade. "I do hope that other countries will also come to the table with a positive attitude as does India...(I do hope that) other countries are also willing to listen to us and other less developed and developing countries' concerns and give free and fair solutions to the problems," Goyal said at the Raisina Dialogue ...

Developing nations like India, South Africa and Indonesia are set to oppose efforts by US and Europe to extend the moratorium. If no agreement is made, the moratorium would expire this year

Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body of the WTO and serve as crucial forums for member states to address trade challenges, refine trade rules, etc.