Has the crisis changed the trade policy priorities of the large emerging Asian nations?
This GTA report includes three analyses of the effect of the crisis on the trade policy priorities of China, India, and Russia. The most dramatic changes in commercial policy have taken place in Russia–moving away from multilateral engagement towards import-substitution policies and a customs union with certain neighbours. Our Russian analyst documents these changes and argues that many of them were predictable. In contrast, according to our analyst of the Indian situation, the crisis has worsened the prospects for regional integration in South Asia, leaving the WTO and its troubled Doha Round talks the principal vehicle available to Indian trade policymakers. Another of our analysts argues that, while Chinese trade policy has achieved three of its major objectives in the past year, the substantial targeting by foreign governments of Chinese commercial interests means that current Chinese policy has failed to deter foreign beggar-thy-neighbour actions. To date, it was argued, most Chi
