The Legal System Of Agricultural Subsidies And Countervailing Measures Under WTO

As the global economic integration speeding up, all kinds of tariff and non-tariff barriers attractedgreat opposition from all over the world, and subsidies as a more concealed non-tariff barriers, more worldattention, at the same time, the countervailing strength has been strengthened. Countries around the worldare also continue to strengthen the perfection of subsidy and anti-subsidy laws, regulations, in order toprotect domestic industries, and promote economic development, enhance international competitiveness.Agricultural subsidies and countervailing issues is one of the most controversial issues in theinternational economic and trade. The uniqueness of agriculture make foreign trade of agricultural productsin international trade special field has been the trade in goods, for a long time, countries cannot agree on abinding to this rule. Agricultural subsidies and countervailing issues in long-term gatt effective constraint,the practice of developed countries make use of this defect for agricultural protectionism strategy,vigorously promote agricultural support and the import restrictions, of high levels of agricultural subsidy,so agricultural production not only overload, and structural imbalance, again want to by large exportsubsidies for processing spare products selling agricultural products to the international market. Thus, formost mainly depends on agriculture and agricultural exports of a very adverse impact on developingcountries, the international agricultural products market has been seriously distorted.International markets for agricultural products trade conflict escalating, make all countries to realizethe agricultural trade into the importance of international trade liberalization system. Until the Uruguayround agricultural agreement (hereinafter referred to as "the WTO agriculture agreement") signed andmarked the beginning of international free trade of agricultural products. The purpose of the agreementfundamentally countries for more than50years gradually achieve reduce agricultural subsidies andprotection, and eventually to correct and prevent the world agricultural market trade restrictions anddistortions. According to the agreement, got cut agricultural subsidies, but the number is still at a high levelof subsidies, export subsidies and domestic support is still in a certain extent. In2001a new round of tradenegotiations is the Doha round in order to pass the fairer trade environment to promote global economicdevelopment for the purpose to further cut agricultural subsidies, as one of the important issues. The Doha round, however, because of developed members such as the United States and the European Union fordomestic political reasons, not to cut the distort international trade major agricultural subsidies have beenperiodic failure. This makes the prospect of the further liberalization of agricultural trade is not optimistic.This text mainly consists of four parts, the main purpose is through the WTO agricultural subsidiesand anti-subsidy law system research, under the WTO frame for our country’s agricultural subsidy systemto provide ideas and Suggestions, in order to promote the development of agriculture in our country,strengthen the agricultural international competitiveness.The first part is summary of subsidy and anti-subsidy, mainly from the meaning of subsidy andanti-subsidy and elaborates the theory of economics, to definite the meaning of the subsidies andcountervailing defined, through analysis on the economic theory, explained the subsidies andcountervailing in international trade, the rationality of the existence and the role in the economicdevelopment and foreign trade, at the same time made clear our country as a developing country shouldaccording to the national conditions to choose the reasonable economic theory.The second part is the WTO agricultural subsidies and countervailing rules and its evolution of legalsystem, mainly discusses from GATT1947to Tokyo round, then to the WTO "agricultural agreement", anda new round of agricultural trade negotiations, respectively by the problems of agricultural subsidy lawsregulation, the legal system highlights the evolution process of agricultural subsidy problem along with theincreasing importance of international trade development..Third part agriculture subsidy and anti-subsidy international practice, mainly from the developedcountries and regions, the two aspects in this paper, the developing countries on agricultural subsidies andcountervailing issues in the international practices and countermeasures, based on the analysis andcomparison of national system, to explore useful experience for our system.The fourth part is the legal system of agricultural subsidies in China under the WTO framework, withChina’s WTO accession commitments, present situation analysis of China’s agricultural products trade andagricultural subsidies, finally based on the perfection of legal system of agricultural subsidies in China putforward countermeasures and Suggestions, in order to constantly improve the international competitivenessof agriculture in China.