The Information Technology Agreement(ITA) And Its Compatibility With WTO Law

Enacted in 1997, The Information Technology Agreement (ITA), as one of a few World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements realized after the Uruguay Round, play a key role in lifting tariffs on a broad range of IT products area. The ITA has achieved big success in the expanding the ITA product by enhancing the market access through eliminate the tariff of its cover product. The technology and business transaction in the whole world has grown rapidly and the improvement of this agreement keeps being an important issue. But since the keep growing of the information technology in the world, the product coverage in ITA is becoming insufficient so it is very important and urgent to enlarge the product coverage of ITA. Under the effort of members of ITA, On July 24th,2015, 54 members reached an agreement on the product coverage of ITA, which will impact greatly in the IT product field in the whole world.In the holly picture of the ITA area, the developing countries play a big and leading role in it. From 1996 to 2010, developing countries share the 66% export, comparing the 44% before. Among these, the Asia part grows rapidly. And China will benefit a lot from the explanation of ITA's product overage.The first part is focus on the basic points of the ITA. In this part, from the background of the emergency of ITA, its goal and the success of earlier negotiations and to the impact of ITA, all these issues will also be talked about. Within this part, the product coverage, the NTBs issue and the market access are under specifically explanation. This part is connecting to the second part. These the key sources which make the ITA to be and successful agreement in the WTO law.The second part is talking about the point that the ITA is compatible with the WTO law. As a plurilateral agreement, the compatibility with the WTO law is the basis and important thing. Concerning the market access, the tariff reduction and the NTBs is going to be talked about by the aspect of the rules from both parts. And also the MFN principle of ITA and WTO law is within in this part.Then in the third part is focusing on how China will react after the enlarging of the ITA product coverage. To be honesty, China benefits a lot from the enactment of the ITA. China need to take advantage of the chance, improve its capability in the information technology area and keep doing well in this part.The last part is drawing to the conclusion. ITA always welcomed by the whole world, from the first outcome till now improve step by step, trade in the IT area has been improved significantly. Therefore, China, and the other member in the whole world will definitely take advantage of this chance and make a big improvement in IT area.