Conflicts Between Service Trade Liberalization And Environmental Protection And Their Coordination Under The Framework Of GATS

Currently, many people have misunderstandings in the relations between service trade liberalization and environmental protection. In the researches on trade and environment issues, attention is paid on goods trade with the environmental effects of service trade ignored. In fact, there are conflicts between service trade liberalization and environmental protection. On the one hand, service trade liberalization has unfavorable effects on environment. With the development of service trade liberalization, not only will service itself have great environmental effects, but also service trade liberalization will expand the environmental effects of goods trade. On the other hand, environmental protection may restrict the development of service trade liberalization. The unbalanced economic development between developed and developing countries is also one of the causes of the conflicts between them. Service trade liberalization results in scale, technology, income and regulation effects. Fundamental causes of the conflicts between them can be traced from the angle of economics, sociology and law. In GATS, in spite of the article related to environmental protection referred in the exceptional articles in particular provided with reference to GATT, this article is too general and can not fulfill the role of protecting environment. Internationally, in terms of the policies of and agreements on the relations between service trade liberalization and environmental protection, environmental policies of NAFTA and EU are most unique and effective, and therefore can be used for reference in coordinating the conflicts between service trade liberalization and environmental protection. In China, in addition to responding to the requests of the international community and pursuing a favorable international environment, we should adjust the related domestic regulations to adapt to new international situations.