Principle of Most Favoured Nation: Description, Modern Evolution, and Analysis of the Exceptionality of the Principle in A Contemporary World

The "most favoured nation" principle is the cornerstone of the modern international trading system. Each state is obliged to reflect the benefits it offers a nation over other WTO adherents as well. This system, however, although it proved effective until the last century for the creation of an international free trade system, today has lost its capabilities, mainly degraded by “private” international agreements between nations, such as RTA, FTA, PTA and REIO, who have torn apart the principle and created groups of nations, each with their own personal advantages which are bestowed only on the nations adhering to the agreement. The following sections aim to give a description of this phenomenon and its evolutions up to modern times, through an analysis of the various exceptionality of the "most favored nation" principle, of the situation of modern free trade agreements, and of the effects both for national legislations and markets, in order to be able to understand what are the conditions facing the global market today and, above all, if the principle of "non-discrimination" is still a cornerstone in the trade relations in the MFN.

El comercio internacional de armamento y las ventajas comparativas

In this paper we try to explain how well trading models in general can be used for international arms trading. We will study the evolution of the main models throughout history in order to see in what ways they may be adequate to explain the security and defence material trading, mainly we will focus in the Heckscher-Ohlin model. In order to understand military equipment trading, we are going to analyze the industry’s composition, studying the cases of the main exporters and importers, and what motivates them to go one step further from the mere production of Goods, towards international trading, while taking into consideration the main ways of exporting a product and the regulations it may face.

Boatbuilding Technology Analysis of the Seventh Century Boat Remains from Bongal Site on the West Coast of North Sumatera

The west coast of North Sumatera was a famous sea trade route since the ninth century, according to the research conducted in the Barus Site, the international trading ports in the region. However, the study of the maritime technology in the region is still scarcely done. Boat timbers finding from Bongal Site is the first, as well as the oldest, shipwreck remains found in the west coast of North Sumatera. This paper aims to study the boatbuilding technology, as one of the maritime technologies, of the boat remains found in Bongal Site. Analysis on form and function of the timbers, along with the radiocarbon-dating result of timber and Arenga pinnata rope show that the vessel was built in the Southeast Asian lashed-lugs technique in the seventh century, two centuries older than Barus. Analysis on the artefacts found near the timbers indicates that this type of vessel was used for trade activities on the west coast of North Sumatera.

The Paris Agreement’s Article 6 Market Mechanisms and wto Law

The article analyses the market-based approaches in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement with respect to their potential interaction with international trade law. It focuses on the international dimension of Article 6 and the tensions associated with international trading of mitigation outcomes (under paragraphs 2–3 of the Article) and emission-reduction units generated through the sustainable development mechanism (paragraphs 4–7). We find that while there are significant normative tensions and legal uncertainties in the relationship between the regimes, international cooperation across the two law- and policy-making arenas could also help to develop new approaches to aligning wto trade law with international climate objectives.

Joint Initiatives Instead of Multilateralism: A New Reality for the WTO?

The article examines the complexities of the negotiation function of the WTO, in which consensus in decision-making plays an important role. The author systematizes the possibilities and limitations for incorporating the results of plurilateral negotiations (i.e., with a limited number of participants) held within the framework of the so-called joint statement initiatives into the organization's law. The article also analyzes the prospects for integrating specific joint initiatives (internal regulation in services, simplification of investments in development, e-commerce) into the WTO system. The article emphasizes that despite standard features, all initiatives are unique in their content, format, and history and are at different stages of readiness, for Russia, which takes an active part in these joint initiatives, bringing the negotiations to a conclusion. The article criticizes joint initiatives from their primary opponents (India and South Africa), who insist that plurilateral initiatives' participation ignores existing multilateral mandates reached by consensus. Thus, they destroy the multilateral system.The purpose of the article is to review conceptual and practical approaches to forming new trade rules in the WTO system in the context of the multilateral crisis. The author concludes that plurilateral agreements can become a way out of the crisis in the negotiation function of the WTO, as well as the basis for future trade agreements in the system of organization. However, for plurilateralism to be effective and sustainable, it must be linked to multilateral norms and principles. Any plurilateral approach must allow flexibility in forming the basis for negotiating trade rules at multilateral level. It seems that if in the near future the WTO does not take decisive actions to adjust the rules and procedures for the new agreements, the prospects for advancing negotiations and maintaining the relevance of the leading institution of the international trading system will become even bleaker.

Design of Combined Auction Model for Emission Rights of International Forestry Carbon Sequestration and Other Pollutants Based on SMRA

In this paper, the combined transactions for emission rights of international carbon sequestration and other pollutants in forestry have been taken as the research object, and the Simultaneous Multiple Round Auction (SMRA) theory has been used to design a new model for the current auction transactions. In this paper, the feasibility and application of the SMRA model of reach object are studied by the methods of simulation experiment, model analysis, and analogical analysis, and the promotion of this model is discussed. The results show that the new auction model designed in this paper fills in the blank of the combined auction of international forestry carbon sequestration and other pollutant emission rights. It successfully eliminates the winners’ curse and the losses of the sellers. Meanwhile, it provides a new way of resolving ecological deficits problems, achieving the ultimate goal of an overall reduction in carbon and pollution emission. Moreover, it’s beneficial in resolving the structural contradictions between ecological purification and pollutants discharge, hence maximizing the benefits for all the stakeholders. Finally, it is suggested that the SMRA should be adopted in the international trading of emission rights of international carbon sequestration and other pollutants to promote the emission reduction of greenhouse gases and pollutants.

The main trends in the development of export credit agencies in the world

Subject. This article discusses the features and trends in the development of export credit agencies (ECA) in the world in the context of increasing competition of manufacturers for market share. Objectives. The article aims to show the peculiarities of the ECA's activities, reveal new aspects of their operation in modern conditions, and substantiate the need to change the international agreement in the field of export crediting and insurance. Methods. For the study, I used the comparative, statistical, and formal and logical methods. Results. The article shows the key role of ECA as an institution of State support for exports and a guarantor of the stability of the international trading system. It also finds that increased competition from Chinese and other ECAs that are not subject to the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits – OECD rules, as well as the expanded role of ECA during the pandemic, necessitate uniform approaches to State support for exports of domestic producers at the WTO level. Conclusions. ECAs’ support remains one of the effective tools in implementing the State foreign economic policy and increasing the international competitiveness of certain sectors of the economy. The need to improve international rules on export credit and insurance to ensure the stability and sustainable development of international trade is becoming increasingly apparent.

The liberal international trading order (LITO) in an era of shifting capabilities

There is much debate about the impending collapse of the liberal international order. It is provoked by the shifts in material and military capabilities from emerging peer and near-peer competitors, some of whom were not part of the original grand bargain and others that are in a stronger position to renegotiate the bargain. As one critical element of the liberal international order, we ask, during power shifts: is the liberal international trading order (LITO) durable and resilient? When and why will the LITO collapse? Does the relative decline of the hegemon alone explain these outcomes? In advancing a second-image reversed plus argument, we highlight how a shift in the nature of the foreign commercial orientation of peer and near-peer contenders can alter the domestic balance of power of two broad and logrolled coalitions competing to capture the state and thus affect whether the erstwhile leader defends, renegotiates, or abandons the trading order it created. To better understand these forces, we examine two paradigmatic cases: Britain in the 1930s and the United States in the 2000s.

Effects of pretreatment on the cut flowers quarantined by EB radiation

Fresh cut flowers including yellow and white chrysanthemum (chrysanthemum sp) and red carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L) were electron beam irradiated as quarantine treatment. The results showed that the irradiated flowers could meet the phytosanitary requirements in the international trading. In this study, the cut flowers were pretreated with the commercial preservative and sugar solutions in order to increase their radio-tolerance and expand their vase-life. The pretreatment has also reduced the weight loss, browning rate of leaves, and brightness of the irradiated flowers. The results revealed that the commercial quality of the irradiated cut flowers pretreated with 2% glucose solution 2 hours, then 0.024% silver thiosulphate (STS) solution for further 2 hours was remained after storage at 4-6oC. Pre-treatment with 2% glucose and 0.024% STS before irradiation at 400 Gy and 600 Gy was chosen as the best way for improving the raditain tolerance of the cut flowers. The vase-lifes of the irradiated cut flowers are 6 days for yellow chrysanthemum; 8 days for white chrysanthemum and 8-10 days for red carnation similar to non-irradition ones.