Trade routes to sustained economic growth : report of a study group of the Trade Policy Research Centre : Tokyo Trade Symposium to mark the Fortieth Anniversary of the United Nations held in Tokyo, at the Akasaka Price hotel, on 15-17 March 1986

Biographical notes on the members of the study group appear at the end of their report. The report has been prepared at the Centre mostly through correspondence with members of the study group and through informal meetings between members as, when and where possible. After the symposium, the draft was substantially revised in the light of the discussion in Tokyo, with other comments also being taken into account. In addition, parts of the draft were elaborated, drawing on work of the Centre, to provide a fuller analysis of the systemic problems in the international trading system. All members of the study group are in agreement with the line of argument in the report. Since the report has covered a wide range of complex issues, however, individual members would not necessarily endorse every detail. At their annual meeting in Geneva in November 1985, the ninety countries which are contracting parties to the GATT formally established, at long last, a preparatory committee 'to determine the objectives, subject matter, modalities for and participation in the [new round of] multilateral trade negotiations to be launched at a ministerial conference in September 1986'. It was subsequently decided to hold the ministerial conference in Punta del Este, in Uruguay, in the week beginning 15 September. Once the new GATT round is formally launched there will be much more preparatory work to do before negotiations can get down to serious business. It is hoped, therefore, that this report will help to stimulate a wider discussion, not only in the Asian-Pacific region but also in other parts of the world, on the systemic issues that need to be addressed if the GATT Preface Xl system is to be strengthened to provide a durable basis for the further liberalization of international trade. Front Matter....Pages i-lii Economic Recovery: Hope or Opportunity?....Pages 1-19 Essentials of the International Economic Order....Pages 20-37 Crisis in the GATT System of International Trade....Pages 38-53 Evolution of the Policies of Developed Countries....Pages 54-70 Impact of Developments in the World Economy....Pages 71-88 Neo-protectionism and the Need for Transparency....Pages 89-110 New Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations....Pages 111-152 Back Matter....Pages 153-178