29-06-2012, 11:29 AM
New trends in international trade, emerging business models, and the needs of small and medium-sized businesses in preparing the
Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade
New trends in international trade.pdf (Size: 148.65 KB / Downloads: 152)
goods, excluding mining products, recorded above average growth in world
merchandise trade during the past two decades (WTO, 2004a; 2005b). As a result, they accounted for
around three-quarters of world merchandise trade in 2003. By contrast, the share of agricultural goods
trade remained at around 9% in the three preceding years, which represented approximately 2% below the
average level in the 1990s. One of the notable trends is that processed agricultural goods have become
more important within trade in agricultural goods over the past decade. They accounted for 48% of global
trade in agricultural goods in 2001-2, rising from 42% in 1990-1.
This upward trend can be observed
across countries and agricultural product groups throughout the 1990-2002 period.
Trade between partners of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)
6. A surge in trade between RTA partners was achieved mainly by a recent proliferation of RTAs.
According to a recent WTO report (2004b), some 220 RTAs were estimated operational as of October
2004, of which 150 had been notified to the GATT/WTO. Nearly all WTO Members belong to at least one
RTA, and each belongs to six RTAs on average (World Bank, 2005b)2. The number of RTAs is likely to
continue to increase in coming years, considering the number of RTAs under negotiation. Consequently, it
was estimated that the share of trade between RTA partners of world merchandise trade will grow to 55%
by 2005 if all expected RTAs are concluded, rising from 43% at present (OECD, 2002a).
Developing countries’ trade
7. In 2004, the share of developing countries in world merchandise trade stood at 31%, having
increased from about 20% in the mid-1980s (WTO, 2005a; UNCTAD, 2004a). This is the highest level
since 1950. It is observed that developing countries are increasingly becoming an important destination for
the exports of developed countries. Among those, in particular, some problems have been recognized in
identifying tariff classification and assessing the Customs value3 of second-hand goods such as used cars,
computer equipment, machinery and clothing. Also, developing countries contributed more to the 2003
growth of world merchandise trade than developed countries. It was estimated that nearly four-fifths of the
real growth in 2003 was attributable to developing countries, including transition economies (UNCTAD,
2004a).
8. This trend requires caution, given that many developing countries, including African countries,
Less Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remain relatively
marginalized from international trade (UNCTAD, 2005). However, it is observed that new efforts are
being made in order to reinvigorate their regional liberalization programmes and take initiatives aimed at
2 This is best illustrated by the fact that the WTO MFN tariff rates of the EU are fully applicable at present to only nine
trading partners; namely, Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore
and the United States (WTO, 2004b).
3 Customs value is defined as “value declared for Customs purposes of those goods in a consignment which are subject to
the same Customs procedure, and have the same tariff/statistical heading, country and duty regime” in the WCO Data
Model.
4deeper integration into global trade. For example, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD) in African counties was initiated in 2001. One of its primary objectives is to “halt the
marginalization of Africa in the global process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the
global economy” (NEPAD, 2004).
South-South trade
9. Merchandise trade between developing countries, i.e. South-South trade, has significantly
increased at an annual average rate of 11% during the past decade, accounting for nearly 13% of world
merchandise trade in 2000 (UNCTAD, 2005). Around 40% of exports from developing countries were
destined for other developing countries. Intra-regional trade, in particular through RTAs, played a central
role in the rise of South-South trade. Also, inter-regional trade showed signs of growth, albeit on a smaller
basis. In addition, intra-Asia trade took a dominant position in this trend, accounting for around 80% of the
total South-South trade in 2000, but strong growth in intra-regional trade in Africa and Latin America was
also observed.
Containerized cargo
10. There are a number of freight containers in use within different modes, for example, Unit Load
Devices (ULDs) for aviation, Swap Bodies for road-rail carriage in Europe, and various types of maritime
containers (e.g. dry and refrigerated containers) for seaborne shipping (OECD, 2003a). Among those,
maritime containers are the most numerous container types involved in international trade. They are also
used for inter-modal transportation, in which they are carried by maritime, inland waterway, road, and rail
operators.
11. It was estimated that that over 6 billion tons of goods were traded by sea in 2003 (UNCTAD,
2004c). This accounts for over 80% of world trade by weight (OECD, 2003a). With 36% for tanker cargo
(i.e. crude oil and oil products) and 24% for bulk cargo (e.g. steel, iron ore and coal), non-bulk cargo
accounted for 40% by weight of the total seaborne cargo, most of which was carried in maritime containers
(UNCTAD, 2004c). It was also estimated that there were 10.8 million maritime containers in circulation
worldwide in mid-2003 (World Shipping Council, 2003).
Air Cargo; Express cargo
12. It is reported that world air cargo accounts at present for a small portion of world merchandise
trade by weight, but a significant portion by value. World air cargo traffic has rapidly grown at a rate of
over 10% during the past decade, and it is expected to continue to grow rapidly in coming years. For
example, air cargo traffic has doubled over the past decade as measured in Revenue Tonne-Kilometres
(RTKs: weight multiplied by distance for charged cargo). Within air cargo, the share of express cargo has
also grown rapidly from 4.1% in 1992 to nearly 11% in 2003 in terms of RTKs (Boeing, 2004).
13. This important growth in express traffic can be attributed to several factors: globalization and
associated Just-In-Time production and distribution systems; increased trade in high-value low-weight
products; and the provision of a service that assists SMEs to compete effectively in an increasingly global
market.