On December 11, 2018, the World Trade Organization (WTO) published the Director-General’s annual report on trade-related developments. The report shows a sharp increase in trade-restrictive measures taken by WTO members from mid-October 2017 to mid-October 2018.
Some of the key findings include:
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WTO members applied 137 new trade-restrictive measures during the review period;
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The trade coverage of the import-restrictive measures was seven times larger than the previous review;
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WTO members implemented 162 measures to facilitate trade; and
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Trade remedy measures accounted for approximately 63% of all trade measures in the report.
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo urged WTO members to de-escalate trade tensions.
The WTO press release may be found here:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news18_e/trdev_11dec18_e.htm
