Slowdown in world trade in 2012 and 2013
At least two lean years ahead of world trade. After the 5% increase in volume recorded in 2011, already far removed from 13.8% in 2010, the growth of international trade in goods and services will fall 3.7% this year, predicts the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This slowdown shows that "downside risks remain high and that we are not out of the woods," warns its director general, Pascal Lamy. It reflects not only the crisis in the eurozone, where the risks of recession are not excluded, but the consequences of the tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand, which disrupted production chains across Asia.
Even in China growth stalled. The World Bank has revised its forecast for Thursday GDP growth (GDP) of 8.4% to 8.2% this year. And if HSBC says the country will "rank among the top ten global markets by 2050," the bank regrets that "consumption is slow" and that "external demand remains weak."
However, it is developing countries that should benefit most from world trade in 2012, with exports and imports respectively up 5.6% and 6.2%, against 2% and 1.9% for developed countries . But the WTO, who hopes a recovery in the economy of the United States and Japan, fears and weaknesses of Europe too much of a rise in commodity prices.
"Trade restrictions"
The Geneva-based organization is little more optimistic for 2013. Although it contains the growth of international trade will rise to 5 installment payday loans.6%, with growth of 7.2% of exports of developing countries and 4.1% in developed countries. At the same time imports are projected to increase by 7.8% and 3.9% respectively. But this is little more than the 5.4% average annual increase recorded over the last twenty years. No room for complacency.
And it is certainly not sufficient to preclude the temptations of nationalism from a number of countries and the risks of a return to a more or less creeping protectionism. Pascal Lamy sees no protests yet openly declared. But he fears that "trade restrictions" appear and are "undermining the benefits of openness" in international trade. It is imperative "to revitalize the trading system to prevent such a scenario happens," pleads the Director General of the World Trade Organization.
Yet it was precisely the mission that had set the negotiations on the Doha round to liberalize world trade up. Unfortunately, begun in 2001, they are still deadlocked. And increasingly threatened by the proliferation of free trade agreements signed over the world without the WTO.
ALSO READ:
"The Asian champion free trade agreements
"The Russian industrialists against joining the WTO
"The crisis has awakened protectionist temptations
"Trade: Japan, Europe and the United States attacked China