By Biswajit Dhar | Briefing Paper #66 | November 25, 2024
US President-elect Donald Trump made two promises that were not only laced with populism, but were also presented as the essential elements of his economic policy. First, he promised an across-the-board increase in import tariffs: 60% tariffs would be imposed on US imports from China, while imports from all other trade partners would range from 10-20%, and higher than 200% for vehicles from Mexico. Secondly, pledged the US would “take other countries’ jobs” if he returned to the White…
By Kavaljit Singh | Briefing Paper # 65 | November 16, 2024
As President-elect Donald John Trump returns to the White House, all eyes are on the critical decisions shaping his second-term agenda regarding cross-border trade, immigration, climate-related policies, and deregulation initiatives. In particular, his protectionist trade agenda outlined during the campaign trail for the 2024 elections will have major repercussions for the United States and the world at large. His return has sparked concerns about potential disruptions to cross-border trade flows and what his second term means for global trade…
When analysed through its engagement in bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), the NDA government’s foreign trade policy during its ten years in office can best be described as a story of essentially two phases of sharply contrasting stands. Soon after it took office, the government developed a strong anti-FTA bias, reflected in its clear intent to review the three major FTAs that were being implemented, with the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan, and the Republic…
By Biswajit Dhar, Ranja Sengupta, and Abhijit Das | Commentary | March 11, 2024
The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization ended in Abu Dhabi with minimal consensus. MC13 was scheduled to end on February 29 but was extended by a day as the WTO’s 166 members failed to reach consensus on several key issues, such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, ending the moratorium on e-commerce trade, and dispute settlement reform.
Despite high hopes, MC13 failed to deliver positive results for the global trading system amid worsening geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds….
By Kavaljit Singh | Commentary | February 20, 2024
With less than a week to go until the World Trade Organization’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), to be held in Abu Dhabi from February 26, consensus from all members on support for the proposed Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) is still missing. The proposed IFDA has thus far received the support of three-quarters of WTO members, while some prominent members, such as India and South Africa, have opposed this initiative and may not give their consent to the proposed…
