WTO

If You Can't Build an Economy, Steal One

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The United States International Trade Commission released a report on China's intellectual property rights infringement against U.S. firms. To no surprise, the report describes how China's refuses, isn't capable to either enforce U.S. intellectual property rights and in some cases, outright steals them.

Infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in China reduces market opportunities and undermines the profitability of U.S. firms when sales of their products and technologies are undercut by competition from illegal, lower-cost imitations.

To make matters worse, the Chinese courts are a hydra of rules and for small companies it is simply too expensive to try to do anything about the latest rip off.

China also enacted indigenous intellectual property policies, which is a glorified way of requiring advanced R&D be done locally in order to be recognized. Imagine (the good news for U.S. workers), if the United States required all advanced R&D to be done locally and by Americans to be considered valid. That's what China is doing.

“Indigenous innovation” policies, which promote the development, commercialization, and purchase of Chinese products and technologies, may also be disadvantaging U.S. and other foreign firms and creating new barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports to China.

Friday Movie Night - Trade and The WTO

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It's Friday Night! Party Time!   Time to relax, put your feet up on the couch, lay back, and watch some detailed videos on economic policy!

 

Today we are hearing how Buy American is this awful thing, lobbyists screaming threats of boogie man trade war, retribution from the biggest bad ass on the global stage, The World Trade Organization, and other fear mongering things that go bump in the night when the United States tries to stimulate it's own domestic economy in any method that might actually....stimulate the economy.

So, with that, today's videos are a lassoed roundup describing the history of trade, some facts about the WTO and US trade policy.

First up in a more layman's documentary describing what the WTO really is:

Why You Should Be Thrilled the WTO Doha Talks Collapsed

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There is something stinky in the the WTO trade agreements. Very Stinky.

The United States is trading away American jobs. This isn't by proxy, this is literally trading away American jobs to be done by foreign guest workers.

You've probably never even heard about it. There is this little something called GATS, mode 4 under WTO trade rules. What is GATS mode 4 you ask? Well, click on the link where I overview it. In a nutshell the WTO thinks it's a grand idea to trade education and services. Services means people. Yup, trading people.

Confessions of a Trade Negotiator's Mind

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Robert Cassidy is a former Clinton administration assistant trade representative responsible for the entry of China into the WTO and the China PNTR trade agreement.

Today he Confessed.

As the principal negotiator for the landmark market access agreement that led to China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), I have reflected on whether the agreements we negotiated really lived up to our expectations. A sober reflection has led me to conclude that those trade agreements did not

And of a Dangerous Mind?

Your Tax Dollars Offshoring Jobs

This is my second story about OPIC – OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION – a Department of the United States Treasury. This one is based on the OPIC 2006 Annual Report. It contrasts my earlier report on OPIC 1999. Robert Mosbacher, Jr., CEO of Mosbacher Petroleum, is the new CEO of OPIC. Mosbacher Petroleum was skimming money off ENRON back in the 80’s. OPIC was giving money directly to the oil companies. Now banks are skimming money off the U.S. Treasury and lending it to the oil companies.

What is WTO GATS Mode 4?

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GATS stands for General Agreement on Trade and Services. This is a treaty under the control and part of the WTO .

The GATS defines four modes of trade in services. Mode 4 refers to the temporary migration of workers, to provide services or fulfill a service contract. Because the current framework of Mode 4 allows for only temporary movement of workers across borders to provide services, and their visa as well as their right to stay and work are tied to their original terms of employment or contract and to their employer.

The WTO is basically negotiating a global guest worker program.

OPIC - Overseas Private Investment Corporation

We have all heard of the Export / Import Bank (EXIM). We have heard of vague references to trade manipulation, balance of payments, debtor nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), violent protests around the world, including Seattle (who were those people?), etc. Few have heard of OPIC. Overseas Private Investment Corporation is a department of the United States Treasury. Immediately you may wonder why “Private” and United States are associated in the same sentence. I was curious. It’s exactly what you think.

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