Events

The number of bilateral free trade agreements involving economies in East Asia has surged. Yet their utilisation remains relatively low. In the context of the so-called ‘noodle bowl’ of agreements and its effects on business costs, of slow progress in the WTO, and of the greater focus on barriers to international business which operate ‘behind the border’, economies in the region are now looking for new paths to integration. These include the Trans-PacificPartnership (TPP) and also arrangements with ASEAN at their centre. What are the prospects of these different paths, how do they sit alongside existing regional institutions like APEC and also the WTO process, and what are the implications for trade and investment? These questions are discussed in this talk. Some implications for and opportunities for cooperation with the EU will also be noted.

In our series of seminars ahead of the WTO Ministerial Conference in December, we look at the WTO IT Agreement, a sector agreement that many consider as the template for future work in the WTO.

The Trade Ministers summit in Geneva in December is unlikely to give a boost to trade negotiations at the World Trade Organisation. The Doha Round of trade negotiations, which soon will celebrate its tenth anniversary, has been off track for years. Ministers will come to Geneva armed with statements declaring their affection to multilateralism, but they have no intent of doing actual negotiation and probably harbour little hope that negotiations in the Round can be revived.

Investment policy in the European Union is about to become centralized and member states are currently debating the shape and design of Europe’s new investment policy. Is it also time now to consider a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the EU and the United States? The EU has already set out investment agendas in negotiations over bilateral trade agreements (e.g. with Canada), and at some point in the future it will need to decide a way forward for BIT negotiations with many other countries. What would be the conditions for a good BIT between Europe and the United States?

In December Trade Ministers will gather in Geneva for a summit at the World Trade Organisation. It is already clear that the meeting will offer next to nothing for the Doha Round of trade negotiations, which soon will celebrate its tenth anniversary. Ministers will come to Geneva armed with statements declaring their affection to multilateralism, but they have no intent of doing actual negotiation and probably harbour little hope that negotiations in the Round can be revived.

Few question today the unique and transformative role of the Internet. It has helped to spread the world's knowledge and wealth to an unprecedented number of people. The Internet has also played a key role in helping them claim their human rights, as we have witnessed during the Arab Spring. The Internet has empowered people and changed world affairs - but it has also raised anxieties over public safety, intellectual property and geopolitics - that have lead some governments to restrict access and expression, or impose unprecedented liabilities.

The IT Agreement in the WTO remains one of the organisation's greatest achievements as well as disappointments. Since its conception in 1996, we have seen ever faster cycles of innovation and product convergences, the internet, and the rise of China, India and the emerging economies in the ICT supply chains and services trade.

Is China’s magnificent rise in the world economy increasing the appetite in Beijing to establish the Chinese currency, the Renminbi (RMB), as the leading world currency? China is advancing RMB internationalisation and increasingly takes away restrictions against using the currency for trade and current account transactions. Yet restrictions have not been lifted for all transactions – and capital account liberalisation, including a move to free convertibility, remains a highly charged issue in China.

Yet another attempt to conclude the Doha Round has fizzled out and increasingly frustrated political leaders are now asking serious questions about the Round’s future, if indeed there is one. High-level commitments from G20 summits have not helped to form a better environment for a new global trade agreement – and, overall, the spirit of decisive global economic cooperation at the G20 during the crisis appears to have waned. What are the next steps for global economic leadership – especially for the World Trade Organisation? You are cordially invited to a conference on the politics of trade and global leadership with a panel of seasoned experts and officials.

Passions run high as the European Union is about to overhaul its policy for the protection of intellectual property. In a recent proposal the European Commission has signaled how it wants to reform parts of its IPR policy, and selected members of the EU has launched a new initiative to establish a new system for patents in Europe. Are these initiatives on the right track? Have priority been given to areas which need reform?