GATS
(General Agreement on Trade in Services)

An overview

the origin

95% of trades apply GATS

the negotiation starts from round 8 Uruguay round

currently executing by the board of governors of WTO

officially included in Doha minister meeting in 2001

negotiation process

2004 framework agreement

2005 establish "revised offer" list

request the promise of market opening

ensure the multilateral negotiation system

non-discrimination and transparent multilateral law to foreign servers

advantage regulations for least developed countries

2007 most countries support NAMA(Non-Agricultural market Access) to complete the blueprint

2008 signaling conference broke up due to SSM(special safeguard mechanism) dispute

2011 priority topic "LDCs" (Least Developed Countries)

negotiation structure

market access

"request and reply" to "multilateral request"

S&D(special and differential treatment) for developing members

rules issues

domestic regulations

government purchasing

subsidies

emergency SSM

Contents

operation mode

Cross-boarder supply

Consumption abroad

Commercial presence

Presence of natural person

chained restaurant

tourism

foreign banks

accountants

obligations

Most-favored Nation, MFN

Transparency

reduction of domestic regulations

exceptions

specific list of MFN exemptions

Challenges

only have on chance

recognition

recognized by multilateral agreement

other obligation

national treatment clause

gradual opening is time consuming

benefits conflict

traditional negotiation is invalid

too many sub-sectors

becomes minority of agriculture and non-agriculture market entering