Cabotage: reserving the provision of shipping or air services between domestic ports and airports, respectively, In most countries, to ships or aircraft owned and registered locally. Their crews must be hired under local employment conditions. In the United States ships providing cabotage services must also be built in domestic shipyards. See also freedoms of the air and Jones Act.

CAFTA: see United States–Central America Free Trade Agreement.

Cairns Group: a group of agricultural exporting nations lobbying for agricultural trade liberalization. It was formed in 1986 at a Ministerial Meeting in Cairns, Australia, just before the start of the Uruguay Round. Current members are Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay. See also Agreement on Agriculture and agriculture and the multilateral trading system.

Calvo doctrine: a doctrine at one time prevalent in Latin American legal systems. It holds that foreign nationals, and particularly foreign investors, are not entitled to seek protection from their governments in excess of that available to nationals of host countries. In other words, it rejects any suggestion of privileged treatment for foreign investors. The doctrine in effect prevented countries adhering to it from concluding treaties for the protection of investment, and it therefore was seen as having a direct influence on investment flows.