Clete Willems Discusses WTO Reform with Australian Financial Review
Contact:
Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems has been featured in the Australian Financial Review article “Dispute fix key to WTO rejig.” Willems spoke with the publication about the Trump administration’s push for reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The article reports that President Trump will likely insist on an overhaul of the WTO’s dispute settlement system to make it faster and more responsive to the changing realities of the global economy. Willems said the United States will also push for changes to curb the preferential treatment that “developing economies” such as China and India currently enjoy.
“We’re at a stage where it’s just not sustainable for China, India and others to not cut their tariffs as much as the U.S. or Australia does,” said Willems.
Willems predicted that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will turn his focus in 2020 to how the WTO handles disputes between countries. “And this isn’t just about Lighthizer,” he said. “It isn’t just about Trump. These concerns are long-standing. We were raising these issues five years ago.”
Willems acknowledged that Australia is among the countries pushing reform proposals to make the WTO’s Appellate Body more responsive and timely. He also said that during his time in the Trump White House, reform of the international trading system was a priority close behind China and NAFTA.
People Mentioned in This News
