Global Inequalities and Development
In October, 2021, six ASEAN countries submitted the approval of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). Australia and New Zealand have completed the domestic approval process of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). The agreement has met the conditions for entry into force, that is, it will take effect on January 1st, 2022. Under this background, this article analyzes the Doha Round negotiations, so as to have a deep discussion on the negotiation background of service trade in RCEP.
On February 7th, 2000, the WTO General Council decided to launch a new round of negotiations on trade in services in the form of a special meeting of the Council for Trade in Services. On February 25th, 2000, the first special meeting of the Council for Trade in Services officially launched a new round of negotiations. On March 28th, 2001, the first special meeting of the Council for Trade in Services adopted the Guiding Principles and Procedures for Trade in Services Negotiations. In this process, countries explored the possibility of formulating new rules in the fields of domestic rules, emergency safeguard measures, government procurement and subsidies, formulated guiding principles and procedures for a new round of negotiations, and made overall and departmental assessment of international service trade according to the objectives stipulated by GATS.
The Doha Ministerial Conference launched the Doha Development Round, confirming the Guiding Principles and Procedures of Service Trade Negotiation as the basis of negotiation, and stipulated that the initial asking price of specific commitments should be submitted before June 30, 2002, and the initial bid should be submitted on March 31, 2003.
From Cancun Ministerial Conference to “July Package”, the provisions of the draft declaration of Cancun Ministerial Conference on service trade negotiations call on members who have not submitted initial bids to bid as soon as possible. Members who have submitted that initial bid submit the improved bid, paying special attention to the service sectors and delivery mode of export interest to developing countries.
On July 31st, 2004, based on the draft declaration of Cancun Ministerial Conference, all parties reached a “Framework Agreement” to guide the negotiations, requiring members who have not submitted initial bids to submit their bids as soon as possible, and the revised bids should be submitted before May 2005, so as to step up the negotiation of Articles 6, 10, 13 and 15, and pay special attention to the service sectors and delivery modes with export interests of developing countries.
According to the provisions of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration on service trade negotiations, negotiations should be continued on the basis of asking price-bidding mode, while bilateral negotiations should be conducted in a plurilateral manner, and members who have not submitted their initial bids are required to submit their bids as soon as possible, and the final commitment schedule should be submitted before October 31st, 2006. However, the Doha Round negotiations were interrupted in July 2006.
Negotiations after the financial crisis
After 2009, the United States promoted TPP negotiations in an all-round way, and after 2012, the United States, the European Union and Australia promoted TiSA negotiations, which adopted mixed list mode, that is, national treatment adopted negative list and market access adopted positive list.
The RCEP signed on November 15th, 2020, in terms of service trade, seven members such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia adopted a negative list commitment, and the remaining eight members such as China adopted a positive list commitment, which will be converted into a negative list within six years after the agreement comes into effect. In terms of investment, all countries adopt pre-entry national treatment plus negative list.
By Demi Zhang
