Research on Agricultural Trade Disputes under the WTO Framework

Author: Wu Qiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: This book takes the increasing trade disputes in agricultural products and the concept of resource payment as a thread, elaborating on the issues of agricultural trade disputes under the WTO framework from six aspects. First, it clarifies the profound reasons for the frequent occurrence of international agricultural trade disputes from two perspectives: international development imbalance and the imbalance of industrial interests in agricultural products. Second, starting from trade theory, it relaxes the potential assumption of zero transaction costs in neoclassical trade theory, pointing out that the existence of transaction costs revises the trade benefits under the traditional theory of comparative advantage. Frequent international trade disputes, with lengthy and complex resolution processes, significantly impact the trade benefits of related products, becoming a major reason for the transaction costs in international trade. Agricultural trade disputes are a major hotspot in international trade disputes, exerting a significant influence on agricultural trade interests. This section theoretically summarizes the channels through which trade disputes increase trade costs and their influencing factors, demonstrating that China, as a developing country in the stage of institutional transition, is one of the countries more severely affected by agricultural trade disputes, with the realization of its agricultural trade interests severely disrupted by trade disputes. Third, using detailed materials, it analyzes the complexity of agricultural trade disputes from the perspectives of trade rules and trade practices, examining the costs incurred or benefits gained by member states, and studies the WTO's trade dispute settlement mechanism, evaluating its role and shortcomings. Fourth, it analyzes typical cases of agricultural trade disputes between developed countries, between developed and developing countries, and among developing countries, drawing some important insights. Fifth, it summarizes the rights and obligations of China after joining the WTO, linking them to China's agricultural trade structure, as well as the characteristics of existing trade disputes (such as product features, member characteristics, and involved rules) to predict the key areas where future agricultural trade disputes may arise and conducts a focused analysis of these areas. Finally, in the policy section of this book, it proposes an efficiency perspective for addressing agricultural trade disputes, emphasizing the need to fully consider the comparison between dispute investment and potential dispute returns.