America’s Position in the Context of International Trade Negotiations and its Domestic Economic Adjustments: The Example of the WTO Doha Round

　　Abstract: Since 2001, with changes in the domestic political economy of the United States, the US has continuously changed its position in successive rounds of trade agreement negotiations in order to continue to protect its interests. During the Doha Round of the WTO, America’s primary objective was to further open the industrial products and service sector markets of developing country members, while carefully protecting its interests with respect to agriculture. America has not made any substantial steps in decreasing its subsidies to the agricultural sector, and not only have the level of reductions of subsidies remained low, it has made reductions conditional on developing countries reducing tariffs on industrial products and easing barriers to entry in their services trade sectors; with respect to rules and dispute resolution, it has also worked to the greatest extent to protect favorable procedures and regulations. The emergence of and transition in these positions has been both conditioned by and has positively responded to changes in its domestic economic development and economic adjustments. The US has worked to construct an international trade environment and international trade rules and procedures that are favorable to the needs of a domestic economy in the process of adjustment.

　　Author: Xu Xiujun is a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences