Trade Facilitation in the Multilateral Trading System

Hao Wu is currently working at the World Customs Organization (WCO), Belgium. Prior to joining the WCO, he　served as a trade negotiator on the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations for a number of years.

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• Introduction: Time to delve into the genesis, course and accord of trade facilitation, 1. Free trade is not for free, 1.1 The calls for free trade, 1.2 Free trade per se costs, 1.3 Externality of trade cost, 1.4 Cutting tariffs and NTMs for freer trade, 2. Rise of trade facilitation, 2.1 What after the cuts of tariffs and NTMs? 2.2 Rise of trade facilitation, 2.3 Trade facilitation generates dividends, 3. An international accord on trade facilitation? 3.1 Business community’s call for an international accord on trade facilitation, 3.2 International accords on trade facilitation in history, 3.3 A renovated accord for today? 3.4 Why the WTO? 4. The long and arduous journey of trade facilitation in the WTO, 4.1 1996 Singapore Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation kicked off, 4.2 1998 Trade Facilitation Symposium: a leap to the phase of analytical work, 4.3 1998 Geneva Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation in obscurity, 4.4 1999 Seattle Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation brushed past, 4.5 2001 Doha Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation vitalized, 4.6 2003 Cancún Ministerial Conference: "Singapore issues" being an issue, 4.7 2004 July General Council: trade facilitation negotiations eventually unveiled, 4.8 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Conference: negotiations keeping going, 4.9 2009 Geneva Ministerial Conference: Doha Round ambitions vowed again, 4.10 2011 Geneva Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation not a low-hanging fruit, 4.11 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference: trade facilitation agreement sealed, 4.12 Post-Bali Agenda: trade facilitation still on the road, 5. Growth of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation: from a duck-yard-born egg to a swan, 5.1 The Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation: the hatchery, 5.2 Groupings and conflicts, 5.3 The principles for organizing and managing the negotiations, 5.4 The growth of an article, 6. A Commentary on the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, 6.1 Structure of t the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, 6.2 A commentary on Section I, 6.3 A commentary on Section II, 6.4 A commentary on Section III, 7. A symphony of trade facilitation, 7. 1 Recitals by Annex D organizations, 7.2 A symphony of trade facilitation, Conclusion: The road ahead of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, Index