WTO & AZEVÊDO
Name the WTO's three main jobs
Negotiate trade rules, monitor trade policies, and settle disputes.
What year did China join the WTO?
2001
How does a country get developing-country status at the WTO?
It self-declares. There is no formal definition.
The first step countries take when they have a trade dispute in the WTO.
Consultation
What year was the WTO established?
1995
When and why did Azevêdo leave the WTO?
He announced it on May 14, 2020 and left on August 31, 2020, a year early. He believed a new leader should shape the WTO's post-COVID agenda.
Name two industries Made in China 2025 focuses on.
EVs, robotics, aerospace, or high-tech equipment.
Name two benefits of special and differential treatment
Longer timelines, preferential market access, trade protections, or technical support.
The WTO's appeals system stopped working because the U.S. blocked new ones of these.
Appellate Body judges
Which WTO member defended the Appellate Body outright?
The European Union
Why was Azevêdo seen as a "bridge-builder"?
He shrank Doha into packages both north and south could sign (Bali 2013 and Nairobi 2015).
Should a state-owned company automatically be considered part of the government (a "public body")?
No. State ownership did not automatically mean "public body," which made some subsidies harder to challenge under WTO rules.
Name two of the four criteria in the Trump administration's 2019 proposal.
OECD member, G20 member, World Bank high-income, or at least 0.5% of global merchandise trade.
During COVID, what did Azevêdo urge members to do, and what couldn't he do?
He urged members to be transparent and share their COVID trade measures, but he couldn't force anyone to act.
Name three of four pressures on the WTO "pressure map."
The developed vs. developing divide, deals outside the WTO, the broken appeals system, and U.S.–China tensions.