| From the second half of 2007, the food crisis broke up in many countries and regions,and showing a tendency to spread quickly.The food stocks is in emergency and the food price is soaring.Many countries is in the circumstance of high price,high demond,but short supply and import difficulties.This food crisis has triggered some countries in Africa,Asia and South America in the conflict.While the demand of food rising,many food export countries adopt the export restriction.This will intensify the food crisis. Many developing and less developed countries are highly depend on international food markets,and the food supply is in short, food security in these countries has been tremendous damaged.In this food crisis, the developed countries has not been significantly affected, such as the United States.It has the foundation to control the world food prices and the food trade. The reasons of the food crisis has many aspects, such as extensive use of bio-fuels, agricultural speculation, climate, etc., while the trade factors on the food crisis also have some impact. GATT and the WTO agricultural trade rules have promoted the world food trade and agricultural trade liberalization. However, these rules still exist some defects, especially in the circumstance of food crisis, we realize that developed and developing countries are not equal in the implementation of rules. Some policies, such as domestic support, export subsidies, export restrictions distortes the world food markets.The developed countries use a large number of subsidies and domestic support policies,leading to sharp fluctuations of international food prices. Food production in developing countries is undering the attack.We can see that WTO agricultural trade rules are not well protected the interests of developing countries in the food crisis.Based on this background,do some research on the impact of GATT and WTO agricultural trade rules in the food crisis,and hopes that the Doha Round negotiations can look at the current world food crisis, in the new round of negotiations to promote free trade in agriculture to achieve of the agreement, to fight against the deterioration of the food crisis.There are five parts in this thesis. The first part is introduction,mainly introduce the research background and significance, literature review, key concepts, research methods, research and innovation point. Start with the analysis of the background.then the object of the study and the research framework.The second part study the lack of GATT rules and its impact on the food crisis. As the food crisis and trade rules have a certain degree of continuity,so the study starts with GATT rules. The inadequacy of the GATT impacts the food crisis,then study the influence of WTO agricultural trade rules on food crisis. As the GATT is applicable to manufactured goods trade, and also apply to agricultural trade, it does not addressed the rules for agricultural trade. Therefore, it must exist some shortcomings to the food crisis.The third part discusses the impact of major inadequacy of WTO agricultural trade rules to food crisis.And this part is the key part of this thesis. WTO as the successor of GATT,it has some positive effects in promoting free trade.But its shortcomings are also the cause of the food crisis. This chapter discusses beneficial effects to agricultural trade liberalization of rules.Then the main analysis is the limitation on food crisis.Through the analysis of market access, domestic support, export subsidies, export restrictions and some rules,we can obtain the shortcomings of these rules. High tariff levels, severe export subsidies, the green trade barriers, the patent request, agricultural monopoly of transnational corporations, etc.,which have a negative impact to food crisis.The fourth part introduces the status of the Doha Round negotiations and the reform path of agricultural trade rules. The current Agriculture Agreement still exist quite a few defects, especially in facing of the food crisis. All parties are looking forward to restart the Doha Round and can build a more rational agricultural trade rules. On the existing agenda,it has achieved certain results, such as providing a deadline for the elimination of export subsidies, and so on.But these are not enough. The author combines the above problems, according to the principle of a management free trade, makes a number of reform path for agricultural trade rules, such as banning of export restrictions, build food security system. Hope that the outcome of the Doha Round of negotiations with the reform measures will promote the development of free trade in agricultural products. The last part is the conclusions of this thesis, make a number of opinions and suggestions.This article is a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the way. Through the data analysis,there will be a intuitive understanding of the problem. The author will also use case studies to understanding the rules.The case study is more vivid and easy to understanding. Moreover the availability of the case is strong, the feasibility of the thesis is higher.The innovation of this thesis include the followings:First, the object of this study is more novel.Currently there is rare analysis combine the food crisis and agricultural trade rules. The two aspects are intrinsically linked in fact, due to the imperfections of the trade rules, the food crisis is intensified,through the food crisis,it also reflect the shortcomings of the trade rules, The other is the new point of the view, the study of the export restriction question is quite few,but the export restrictions on food crisis is extremely important.Summary of this article is as follows:In addition to natural conditions, food crisis is also related to agricultural trade rules, this is the main contents of this paper. WTO agricultural trade rules hopes to establish a fair trade environment for agricultural products, but its rules more obvious tendency to developed countries and do not take into account of the food security in developing countries as well as agricultural development needs. The endless subsidies and domestic support of developed countries in the international market cause the dumping of products. Many low-cost influx of the food has impact on there domestic agriculture industry.The connotation of food crisis and agricultural trade rules are relatively wide, and the content is more deeply. This thesis is based on a lot of readings and literatures,but the study of the combination of food crisis and agricultural trade rules is limited,so the grasp of the literature is not enough. As the restriction of the academic level, so ther is not enough in-depth study of this issue. |
