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18 - The 2004 WTO accession of Cambodia: negotiating priorities and experience – growth and integration eleven years later

from Article XII members

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2015

Cham Prasidh
Affiliation:
Commerce and ASEAN Economic Minister for Cambodia
Uri Dadush
Affiliation:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC
Chiedu Osakwe
Affiliation:
World Trade Organization, Geneva
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Summary

ABSTRACT

Cambodia was the first least-developed country to complete negotiations to become a member of the WTO. Its negotiations took place in the context of the Decision on LDC accessions taken by the WTO General Council in December 2002, in which WTO members agreed that they would be bound by certain restraints in dealing with LDCs seeking to join the WTO. Given the constraints that, as an LDC, it faced when entering the negotiations, Cambodia recognised that joining the WTO could play an important part in accelerating its growth and development. This chapter describes Cambodia's approach to the accession negotiations: its negotiating strategy, the negotiations themselves and their outcome and Cambodia's post-accession activities. The foundation of all international trading arrangements is the WTO, its concepts and its rules, most of which are carried over into preferential trading arrangements. Being a member of the WTO provides a member's traders with the transparent and predictable trading environment that they need to prosper. It can truly be said that being a WTO member is one of the main pillars of Cambodia's successful economic performance.

Cambodia applied to become a member of the WTO in October 1994. It completed its WTO accession negotiations in May 2003, making it the first of the least-developed countries (LDCs) to complete negotiations to become a member of the WTO. Cambodia shares with Nepal the distinction of being an LDC pioneer in exploring what was then the uncharted territory of LDC accession.

Cambodia's accession negotiations followed the broad outlines that are familiar to all those who have participated in the accession process. Negotiations proceeded simultaneously in four areas: WTO members' examination of Cambodia's trade regime; bilateral negotiations with members on tariff bindings on goods; bilateral negotiations with members on market access for services; and the examination of state support for agriculture.

Cambodia's negotiations took place in the context of the Decision on LDC accessions taken by the WTO General Council in December 2002. In this, members agreed that they would be bound by certain restraints in dealing with LDCs seeking to join the WTO.

Type
Chapter
Information
WTO Accessions and Trade Multilateralism
Case Studies and Lessons from the WTO at Twenty
, pp. 464 - 482
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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