This paper discusses the recent regional trade agreements that China has concluded rapidly following accession to the WTO in 2002. Agreements are in place with Hong Kong, Macao, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand, and are either in negotiation or under discussion with South Africa, Chile, India,...

I provide a stocktaking on the profile of regional trade agreements in the global trading system over the last decade focusing heavily on the period since the 2008 financial crisis and relying heavily on WTO notifications. Regional agreements cover both regional trade agreements and broader...

A special safeguard mechanism is an attractive policy tool for low income importing countries because it is automatic and does not require an injury test. Exporters might accept a safeguard for low income countries if it results in larger tariff cuts than in its absence. Using wheat as a case...

Current trade policy pursued by the Sri Lankan government on rice can best be described as ad-hoc as it is characterized by protecting farmers during glut seasons and consumers during deficit seasons. This study examines the economy-wide impacts of various policy packages on rice and related...

The appearance of BSE in the Canadian beef herd brought immediate financial hardship to the industry due to the immediate closure of export outlets to Canadian beef, live animals and by-products. Nobody knew how long the border would stay closed and many worried that the Canadian beef industry...

Different standards in pesticides and pest protection have often been used as trade barriers, whether real or manufactured. While harmonization is often touted as a means to limit the ability of domestic (protectionist) interests to use standards as a barrier to trade, the process of...