Page 2 - World Trade Organization

India, South Africa block investment agreement at WTO's Abu Dhabi meet

"It's hard to tell if we are going to land something or if we are sleepwalking into failure," said one trade delegate

India calls China-backed IFD proposal at WTO as non-trade issue: Official

As per the WTO, the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Initiative, was originally launched in the spring of 2017 by a group of developing and least-developed WTO members

Over 70 WTO nations agree to take additional obligations in services sector

India would benefit from a move of over 70 nations like the UK, UAE and Australia that have agreed to take on additional obligations in the services sector under an agreement of the WTO, an official said on Tuesday. These WTO (World Trade Organisation) members are taking the additional obligations under the General Agreement on Goods in Services (GATS) to ease non-goods trade among themselves and extend similar concessions to all other members of the WTO. These obligations under their schedules in GATS seek to mitigate unintended trade restrictive effects or measures relating to licensing requirements and procedures, qualification requirements and procedures, and technical standards among themselves, the official added. The disciplines will be applied on a "most-favoured nation" principle, meaning that they will benefit all WTO members. It will also benefit Indian professional companies which will now have equal opportunity to access markets in these 70 countries, if they meet the

WTO ministerial: Permanent solution to food security may be some time away

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

Tax-free status of movie, music, games traded online on table at WTO 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

WTO meet: India to seek permanent solution to food security issues

India will strongly oppose a China-led proposal for an investment facilitation pact besides pressing for finding a permanent solution to public stock holding of grains for food security and protection of the interests of fishermen at the WTO ministerial meeting beginning Tuesday. The Indian delegation is led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The four-day 13th ministerial conference (MC13) will start on February 26 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Trade ministers of 164 member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are meeting against the backdrop of the uncertain global economic situation due to the Red Sea crisis, the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. The key issue of India's interests at the meeting relates to finding a permanent solution for its minimum support price (MSP) issue for food security, agricultural reforms, fisheries subsidies, e-commerce moratorium on import duties, dispute settlement, and WTO reforms. *Food securi

China-led proposal on investment facilitation has systemic concerns for WTO

The attempt of a group of countries led by China to integrate a proposal on investment facilitation into the World Trade Organisation has systemic concerns for the WTO and it would impact developing nations in pursuing their interest in future, experts say. They said that the proposal talks about facilitating investments in the WTO member countries, but there is mixed evidence that such agreements help attract investors. The concerns of the experts on the issue assumes significance as a China-led group of 130 countries are pushing to get an approval on their Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) proposal in the WTO's 13th ministerial conference (MC) this month. The four-day meeting of trade ministers of 164-member global trade rule making body WTO begins on February 26 at Abu Dhabi, UAE. MC is the highest decision making body of the WTO. The experts also said that this is a proposal of a group of countries, which is called a plurilateral agreement or joint statement ...

Rethink trade

India's attitude to WTO negotiations needs more clarity

Streaming a movie abroad may soon come with taxes at border; WTO to decide

The tariff ban has helped fuel the fastest-growing segment of world trade: digital goods and services. They're key to the success not just of tech companies like Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc.

India opposes China-led investment facilitation proposal at WTO

This is because investment, as a subject, falls outside the mandate of the WTO. Besides, India is fundamentally against plurilateral pacts on multilateral platforms such as the WTO

WTO meet: India to bargain for 'poor fishermen' in developing countries

The discussion comes against the backdrop of the global trade body trying to build a consensus on an agreement that aims to curb subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing

India's negotiating imperatives

Even as the global power equations are in a state of flux, India's basic circumstances have to change for it to play a lead role in negotiations

Rodtep reimbursements: Govt likely to guide industry on documentation

The RoDTEP scheme allows refunds of the embedded non-creditable central, state and local levies paid on inputs to exporters and is compliant with World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms

India for fast tracking talks to find food stockholding solution at WTO

India has asked WTO members to fast-track talks on finding a permanent solution on the public stockholding for food security issue at the ministerial-level meeting of the WTO in February, but some countries differ on this, an official said. The issue was discussed at a WTO (World Trade Organisation) agriculture negotiations meeting held on January 16. In the meeting, the US stated that "given members' deeply divergent views", a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security purposes by the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC) is "not possible", the Geneva-based official said. The MC is the highest decision-making body of the Geneva-based global trade watchdog WTO. The 13th MC meeting is scheduled for next month in Abu Dhabi. In its presentation, India stated that the public stock-holding (PSH) has to be dealt with separately on a "fast track mode and emphasized that it has to be delivered at MC13", the official added. According to the officials, the US has stated that ..

Global trade policy: A year-end stocktaking

Even as East Asian regionalism gives some hope, 2023 ends with growing apprehensions

Trade measures of G20 nations become more restrictive in recent months: WTO

Trade measures introduced by G20 member countries have become more restrictive in recent months, according to a report from the World Trade Organisation (WTO). According to the 30th WTO Trade Monitoring Report on G20 trade measures, between mid-May and mid-October 2023, the countries have introduced more trade-restrictive than trade-facilitating measures on goods. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called on the G20 to show leadership and contribute to economic stability and growth by unwinding recent and longstanding restrictions on trade. G20 members include India, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the UK, and the US, among others. "Trade measures introduced by G20 economies have become more restrictive in recent months," the WTO said.

EU disappointed over India's 'right' to approach WTO's body in ICT case

The European Union (EU) has expressed disappointment over India's move to approach the WTO's appellate body in a case related to customs duties on certain information and communications technology (ICT) products, an official said. On December 8, India appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade dispute settlement panel, in a case filed by the European Union against New Delhi's import duties on certain ICT products including mobile phones and components, base stations, integrated circuits and optical instruments. India has stated that it is the right of countries to appeal, and called for early restoration of the non-functional appellate body of WTO so that the panel's errors can be corrected and the dispute can be resolved expeditiously. New Delhi has also rejected the EU's request to settle the dispute through arbitration. On this request, India has said that such interim arbitration agreements undermine the right of countries to appeal to a permanent .

India should actively raise disputes against WTO incompatible schemes: GTRI

With most of the developed regions like the US and EU have turned protectionist and are taking WTO incompatible measures, India should actively raise trade disputes to counter their steps, think tank GTRI said on Monday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said for raising disputes, the government would require a professional setup akin to the US Trade Representative and a robust panel of experts as the current set up lacks depth. In June, the US and India agreed to drop six WTO (World Trade Organisation) disputes, encompassing three cases initiated by each. This was possible because India filed several cases against the US, it added. "Most nations, including the US and EU have turned protectionist and implement many WTO incompatible schemes. India need to actively raise disputes against them to counter or later bargain," it said. GTRI Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava said that as the trade protection measures are on the rise in both the EU and the US, "we expect such cases to .

India challenges WTO panel ruling on ICT import duties at appellate body

According to WTO rules, a WTO member or members can file a case in the Geneva-based multilateral body if they feel that a particular trade measure is against the norms of WTO

China pressures Taiwan with trade accusations, warplanes ahead of elections

China in October said it was extending its trade barrier investigation to Jan. 12, the eve of Taiwan's elections. Taiwan denounced that at the time as election interference