ISDS Case Map
bilateralism & multilateralism
how bilateral, multilateral, regional, unilateral and plurilateral approaches relate (e.g. FTAs vis-à-vis WTO)
Two political tremors in recent days reveal that the global trading system may be creaking and groaning into isolated blocs of countries - without the United States.
The recently signed India-Thailand FTA has stirred a hornet's nest in India. It is being argued that India has shown unnecessary haste in signing the agreement without fully comprehending its economic implications for Indian industry.
In a major policy shift, the government has decided to convert all preferential/free trade agreements (PFA/FTA) into comprehensive economic cooperation agreements (Ceca).
In excluding agriculture from FTA negotiations, the South Korean government is setting itself up for even greater domestic backlash when multilateral negotiations pry open a sector insulated from any form of competition.
Proponents and opponents of free-trade agreements stood firm Tuesday on their respective positions, while a government adviser warned against completing negotiations in haste.
If proof were needed that an Asian free-trade "arms race" has begun in earnest, then the 10th ASEAN summit in Vientiane on November 29th-30th provided it in abundance. The highlight of the summit was the signing of an FTA between China and ASEAN, but equally striking was the number of other trade pacts that were, variously, agreed, worked on or proposed during the meeting in the Lao capital.
India made it clear on Monday that it would aggressively push for more regional trade agreements, though it attached importance to the multilateral trading system.
At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile last weekend, leaders discussed economic issues, especially trade. Singapore and Peru, for example, agreed to initiate talks for a free trade agreement.
Asia-Pacific leaders have ducked a call from business advisors to study an ambitious FTA among APEC members.
This report addresses two questions: What are the characteristics of agreements that strongly promote-or
hinder-development for member countries? Does the proliferation of agreements
pose risks to the multilateral trading
system, and how can those risks be
managed?
