When it comes to free trade agreements between member countries, there are obvious advantages like the efficiency of importing and exporting which would help advance economic growth and development. However, in spite of these gains, every country tries to protect certain industries from entering into their markets through the placement of legal restrictions like tariffs/quotas so as to reduce the threat of external competition and protect domestic employment. This is known as protectionism.
Similarly, in this commentary, the economies of China and Australia are spoken about. Information in the article states that Australia is planning an anti-dumping investigation due to China repeatedly dumping paper onto their markets. Thus, it can be seen how protectionism is essential in order to prevent the dumping of Chinese paper onto domestic markets.
A country is said to be “dumping” a product if it exports its goods at a predatory price i.e. a value much lower than original production costs, somewhere below the price charged in the domestic market and is considered illegal. An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff imposed by the domestic government on foreign imports that it believes are priced below the fair market value. Figure1.1 shows how, as a result of China dumping paper, Australian producers are affected because customers obviously get attracted to lower prices,(Pdumping) thereby reducing sales revenue for domestic producers from l+c+g+h to g, as the demand for
For Example: Suppose a company cuts their workweek from 40 hours to 30 while keeping the wage the same. This will open up jobs, possibly making the total man hours the similar to before. There was no benefit for the company to do that at all. All that happened was that the employed had given up their pay for the unemployed. On the other hand, if the company reduced the work week and increased the wage, the firm would have to raise prices and cut profits. The biggest misconception of protectionism is the fact that merchants are looking at the short term benefits rather than the long term impact. When placing tariffs on common goods productivity and wages are reduced. In a protected industry it is contrast for wage and efficiency, but fall for the overall
Main protectionist policies include tariffs, quotas, embargos and voluntary export restraints, and Adam Smith’s idea of absolute advantage has been developed further to explain international trade. In recent years, protectionism has become closely related to globalization during which the influences of trades spread almost everywhere, so people insist upon the study of social deformities generated by improper policies on international trade and the task of pointing them out with a view to remedy. There are certainly both economic and political purposes of trade
Protectionism by way of the price mechanisms such as tariffs, subsides, quotas, export licences and import duties (Rugman, 2009) are just some of the measures which can seriously impact on a foreign company. For example the American steel industry was afforded protection under the Bush administration when large tariffs were imposed on foreign steel imports in order to safeguard the jobs of the national steel workers (Mankiw and Taylor, 2008).
The impact of globalisation has also changed the structure of Australia 's trade. There has been considerable growth in manufacturing and service industries with limited growth in the rural sector (Table 2). This reflects a combination of changes in world demand and domestic structural reforms.
Unsurprisingly the US Steel industry was influential in Bush’s decision to erect trade barriers on steel imports, with their uncompetitive and politically sensitive nature proving to be a constraint on the Bush’s government’s free trade ambitions. Following a surge in foreign imports, the industry had been filing various anti-dumping cases – over one hundred in between 1999 and 2002 (Ho, 2003, pp12-13). Such pressures were solidified when the International Trade Commission ruled that imports has caused ‘serious injury’ to US steel producers (USITC, 2001). Adding further
The driving forces that are at work in the steel industry are foreign steel producers, new opportunities for the uses of steel, and growth in worldwide demand for steel. Although, the U.S. steel industry experienced some relief from the dumping of foreign steel producers, the dumping was still remained a force that was problematic in the steel industry. As seen above, the steel market is primarily controlled by the foreign steel producers. The anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders and suspension agreement, covering imports of hot-rolled steel in, was extended for 5 years to alleviate some of the harm resulting from the influx of steel in the U.S. market. This extension was initiated to help keep the surplus of steel products in the U.S. at bay. This particular driving force can and has adversely affected the steel industry.
Australia’s Position in the global exporting market is only 22nd, which is far from its leading top trade partners that fit in the Top 5. Also, Australia’s global ranking in the global importing market is 18th, which is under India whose economic status is much lower than Australia. A second disadvantage that Trading brings to Australia is the competition between local small businesses and Trans National Corporations (TNC). Local businesses are closing down and being taken over because of the increase in the entrance of TNCs in Australia. Large Fast food chain Corporations like McDonalds, put local fish and chips shops under pressure. Another disadvantage with Australia being part of International trading is that most of the products that Australia export are agricultural goods that has high tariffs, making it costly for Australia to be able to export.
China, being one of the largest garlic producers in the world, also has one of the lowest costs of production due to economies to scale. The cheaper the garlic is to produce, the more profit could be made, so naturally China began importing to America, where demand for garlic was high. China’s extremely low prices result in “dumping,” the act of selling a foreign product in the United States for an unfairly low price, causing a
This is because many developed countries may use protectionist measures to prevent developing countries from having free access to certain markets (which may include the markets for the developing countries’ primary product) thus making it more difficult for poorer countries to grow and develop.
One of the greatest international economic debates of all time has been the issue of free trade versus protectionism. Proponents of free trade believe in opening the global market, with as few restrictions on trade as possible. Proponents of protectionism believe in concentrating on the welfare of the domestic economy by limiting the open-market policy of the United States. However, what effects does this policy have for the international market and the other respective countries in this market? The question is not as complex as it may seem. Both sides have strong opinions representing their respective viewpoints, and even the population of the United States is divided when it comes to taking a stand in
The 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was the worst crisis in history, and has wide range and deep effects on the world financial system and relations (Peihani 2012). The vulnerability of the world financial system was exposed from the 2008 GFC (Mohamed 2011). Hence, countries are trying to find a solution for the heavily market-relied global financial system, and protectionism has drawn the attention from a great portion of countries and researchers (Viju and Kerr 2011). Mohanmed (2011) defines protectionism as to support domestic production development, and protect it from global competitions, normally through the methods of Quota and Tariff.
Free trade has long be seen by economists as being essential in promoting effective use of natural resources, employment, reduction of poverty and diversity of products for consumers. But the concept of free trade has had many barriers to over come. Including government practices by developed countries, under public and corporate pressures, to protect domestic firms from cheap foreign products. But as history has shown us time and time again is that protectionist measures imposed by governments has almost always had negative effects on the local and world economies. These protectionist measures also hurt developing countries trying to inter into the international trade markets.
Columbia Encyclopedia, (1993) defined dumping as the selling of goods at less than normal price, usually as exports in international trade. It may be done by a producer, a group of producers, or a nation. However, dumping is usually done to drive competitors off the market and secure a monopoly, and/or to hinder foreign competition. Nations, in an effort to counterbalance international dumping, often resorted to flexible tariffs. International trade through acute competition from foreign producers often leads to dumping infractions of law. A policy regarding dumping, depends on its effectiveness in maintaining separate domestic and foreign
Ever since the first involvement of government in international trade, many people have posed their opinion about what the role of government should be in it. Different factors are involved when it comes to deciding what this should be. It impacts a lot of people, so in order to do that, trade policy must be properly defined, identify what the roles of government currently are, and their involvement in it, and then analyse what should be their role. Trade policy is how a country carries out trade with other countries (Commercial Policy, n.d). Even though a lot of people support government intervention in international trade, countries would benefit a lot more if the government removes protectionism and promotes free trade instead.
Trade Barriers: High tariffs are still maintained on exported products that compete with domestic industries in China (Office of United States Trade Reprehensive) . China’s tax regulations are into conformance with international standards (Parliament of Australia Senate) . Therefore at present, cut flower exports to China carry a 70 percent import tax, including cost of transport, plus a value-added tax of 17 percent (Richard Tomlinson, 1995) .