A US official said Brazil had opposed a “near-consensus document”, adding: “It’s not US vs Brazil. It’s Brazil and Turkey v 164 members.”
Meanwhile a Brazilian diplomat said “The US wanted the sky”, and that Brazil wanted to be prudent in renewing the moratorium by two years, as in previous ministerial conferences.
“In four or five years’ time, no one will be able to predict what e-commerce will be about, and this has an influence on a number of countries’ policies,” they added
Another diplomat said that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer made delegates “uncomfortable” as he suggested there “would be consequences”, if the US did not get a long-term extension to the moratorium.
Business leaders lamented the outcome of the talks in Yaounde, with International Chamber of Commerce Secretary General John Denton saying it was “particularly concerning at a time of real strain on the global economy”.
John Bescec, Microsoft’s director of customs and trade affairs said: “Business was expecting more certainty and predictability … Instead, we got the exact opposite.”
Getting a deal on the e-commerce moratorium was seen as key to securing support for the WTO from the US, which under President Donald Trump has retreated from global multilateral institutions.
DRAFT REFORM PLAN TAKES SHAPE
A new draft of a reform roadmap, seen by Reuters, that provides a timeline for progress and sets out the key issues to address was close to being agreed in Cameroon, diplomats said.
Those include improving decision-making in a consensus-based system that has long been stymied by a few countries, and the trade benefits extended to developing countries.
A declaration on reform will also be sent to Geneva for further discussion, the WTO conference chair said.
The reform debate comes amid efforts to rework WTO rules to render subsidy use more transparent and make decision-taking easier. The US and European Union argue China in particular has taken advantage of current rules to their detriment.
Bringing into WTO rules a deal reached by a subset of members aimed at boosting investment in developing countries also remains blocked by India.
