Announcement
Even after a decade since the launch of the WTO Doha Round and 18 years since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round, the goal for the Doha Round is nowhere in sight. The result of the WTO Ministerial Conference held in December last year showed little progress. In fact, there was no consensus reached even on the issue of standstill and rollback commitment on the fight against protectionism. Concern for the future of the WTO and free trade has never been higher.
Looking at the grim reality, countries are rushing to their free trade agreement/regional trade agreement (FTA/RTA) strategies for trade liberalization and rulemaking in trade. This is, however, creating concerns for the polarization of the international economy.
In the period of possible global economic downturn triggered by the uncertainties in the European economy, countries need to discuss seriously and work together to find ways to protect the global trade system.
This round table/symposium is aimed at comparing views on the present status of the global trade system and discussing and recommending ways to realize necessary global governance in the field of trade and investment from wide perspectives.
More concretely, inter alia, it will focus on the development of FTAs/RTAs, the future of a multilateral trade system embodied in the WTO, and also the prospects for issue-specific plurilateral trade agreements.
Participants are representatives from think tanks, governments of major economies, and international organizations such as the WTO.
Information
- Time and Date: 10:00-17:30, Thursday, June 7, 2012
- Venue: JETRO Exhibition Hall (JETRO Headquarter, Akasaka, Tokyo)
- Language: English/Japanese (Simultaneous interpretation service provided)
- Admission: Free
- Hosts: Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
- Support: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
- Contact: Research Planning Division, JETRO
Tel: 0-3-3582-5178 E-mail:oraseminar@jetro.go.jp
Agenda
10:00 - 10:05 Opening Remarks
FUJITA Masahisa (President and Chief Research Officer, RIETI / Professor, Konan University / Adjunct Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University)
10:05 - 10:15 Welcome Remarks
NAKANE Yasuhiro (Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry)
10:20 - 12:05 Session 1: WTO Doha Round and WTO Reform
[Report] Current Status and Prospects of the Doha Round and the WTO
Alejandro JARA (Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO))
Panel Discussion
[Moderator]
ISHIGE Hiroyuki (Chairman and CEO, JETRO / Consulting Fellow, RIETI)
[Panelists] (in alphabetical order)
Alejandro JARA (Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO))
KINBARA Kazuyuki (Director, International Affairs Bureau, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation))
KURODA Junichiro (Principal Director, Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
João Aguiar MACHADO (Deputy Director-General for Trade, European Commission)
NAKATOMI Michitaka (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Principal Trade Negotiator, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
ZHANG Yunling (Director of Academic Division of International Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS))
12:05 - 13:20 Lunch Break
13:20 - 15:15 Session 2: Prospects for an FTA/RTA
[Report 1] Prospects for an Asia-Pacific FTA/RTA
Jeffrey J. SCHOTT (Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE))
[Report 2] European FTAs in the Asia-Pacific Region
João Aguiar MACHADO (Deputy Director-General for Trade, European Commission)
Panel Discussion
[Moderator]
FUKAGAWA Yukiko (Professor, School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University)
[Panelists] (in alphabetical order)
João Aguiar MACHADO (Deputy Director-General for Trade, European Commission)
NAGATA Osamu (Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Corporation (Chairman, International Committee of Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA)))
OKADA Hideichi (Vice-Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
Jeffrey J. SCHOTT (Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE))
YAMASHITA Kazuhito (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Research Director, the Canon Institute for Global Studies)
ZHANG Yunling (Director of Academic Division of International Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS))
15:15 - 15:35 Coffee Break
15:35 - 17:25 Session 3: Plurilateral Agreements and Global Governance
[Report 1] Plurilateral Agreements and Global Governance
NAKATOMI Michitaka (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Principal Trade Negotiator, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
[Report 2] Information Technology Agreement (ITA) Expansion and International Digital Economy Agreement (IDEA)
Hosuk LEE-MAKIYAMA (Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE))
[Report 3] Plurilateral Agreements and Developing Countries
OSHIKAWA Maika (Head, Asia and Pacific Desk, Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation, World Trade Organization (WTO))
Panel Discussion
[Moderator]
KOTERA Akira (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo)
[Panelists] (in alphabetical order)
KURODA Junichiro (Principal Director, Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
Hosuk LEE-MAKIYAMA (Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE))
NAKATOMI Michitaka (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Principal Trade Negotiator, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI))
OSHIKAWA Maika (Head, Asia and Pacific Desk, Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation, World Trade Organization (WTO))
Jeffrey J. SCHOTT (Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE))
17:25 - 17:30 Closing Remarks
NAKAJIMA Atsushi (Chairman, RIETI)
*Program is subject to change.
