Reciprocal trade agreements between two or more partners are called _____ trade agreements.

Selling to U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) partner countries can help your company to enter and compete more easily in the global marketplace through reduced trade barriers. U.S. FTAs address a variety of foreign government activities that affect your business: reduced tariffs, stronger intellectual property protection, opportunities for U.S. exporter input in the development of FTA partner country product standards, fair treatment for U.S. investors, enhanced opportunities to compete for foreign government procurements, and opportunities for U.S. service companies.                  

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What are Free Trade Agreements?                                                         

A Free trade Agreement (FTA) is an agreement between two or more countries where the countries agree on certain obligations that affect trade in goods and services, and protections for investors and intellectual property rights, among other topics. For the United States, the main goal of trade agreements is to reduce barriers to U.S. exports, protect U.S. interests competing abroad, and enhance the rule of law in the FTA partner country or countries.  

Currently, the United States has 14 FTAs with 20 countries. FTAs can help your company to enter and compete more easily in the global marketplace through zero or reduced tariffs and other provisions. While the specifics of each FTA vary, they generally provide for the reduction of trade barriers and the creation of a more predictable and transparent trading and investment environment. This makes it easier and cheaper for U.S. companies to export their products and services to trading partner markets. 

Key Benefits of Free Trade Agreements                                                                             

If you are looking to export your product or service, the United States may have negotiated favorable treatment through an FTA to make it easier and cheaper for you. Accessing FTA benefits for your product may require more record-keeping but can also give your product a competitive advantage versus products from other countries. U.S. FTAs typically address a wide variety of government activities that affect your business: 

  • Reduction or elimination of tariffs on qualified. For example, a country that normally charges a tariff of 12% of the value of the incoming product will eliminate that tariff for products that originate (as defined in the FTA) in the United States. This makes you more competitive in the market. 
  • Intellectual Property Protection: protection and enforcement of American-owned intellectual property rights in the FTA partner country. 
  • Product Standards:  the ability for U.S. exporters to participate in the development of product standards in the FTA partner country. 
  • Selling to the government:  the ability for a U.S. company to bid on certain government procurements in the FTA partner country. 
  • Service companies: the ability for U.S. service suppliers to supply their services in the FTA partner country. 
  • Fair treatment for U.S. investors providing they be treated as favorably as the FTA partner country treats its own investors and their investments or investors and investments from any third country.  

View the listing of FTA countries and requirements to receive preferential treatment.  

Multilateral trade agreements are commerce treaties among three or more nations. The agreements reduce tariffs and make it easier for businesses to import and export. Since they are among many countries, they are difficult to negotiate. 

That same broad scope makes them more robust than other types of trade agreements once all parties sign. Bilateral agreements are easier to negotiate but these are only between two countries.

They don't have as big an impact on economic growth as does a multilateral agreement.

Key Takeaways

  • Multilateral trade agreements strengthen the global economy by making developing countries competitive. 
  • They standardize import and export procedures, giving economic benefits to all member nations. 
  • Their complexity helps those that can take advantage of globalization, while those who cannot often face hardships.

5 Advantages

Multilateral agreements make all signatories treat each other equally. No country can give better trade deals to one country than it does to another. That levels the playing field. It's especially critical for emerging market countries. Many of them are smaller in size, making them less competitive. The Most Favored Nation Status confers the best trading terms a nation can get from a trading partner. Developing countries benefit the most from this trading status.

The second benefit is that it increases trade for every participant. Their companies enjoy low tariffs. That makes their exports cheaper.

The third benefit is it standardizes commerce regulations for all the trade partners. Companies save legal costs since they follow the same rules for each country.

The fourth benefit is that countries can negotiate trade deals with more than one country at a time. Trade agreements undergo a detailed approval process.

Note

Most countries would prefer to get one agreement ratified covering many countries at once. 

The fifth benefit applies to emerging markets. Bilateral trade agreements tend to favor the country with the best economy. That puts the weaker nation at a disadvantage, but making emerging markets stronger helps the developed economy over time.

As those emerging markets become developed, their middle class population increases. That creates new affluent customers for everyone.

4 Disadvantages

The biggest disadvantage of multilateral agreements is that they are complex. That makes them difficult and time consuming to negotiate. Sometimes the length of negotiation means it won't take place at all. 

Second, the details of the negotiations are particular to trade and business practices. The public often misunderstands them. As a result, they receive lots of press, controversy, and protests. 

The third disadvantage is common to any trade agreement. Some companies and regions of the country suffer when trade borders disappear.

The fourth disadvantage falls on a country's small businesses. A multilateral agreement gives a competitive advantage to giant multi-nationals. They are already familiar with operating in a global environment. As a result, the small firms can't compete. They lay off workers to cut costs. Others move their factories to countries with a lower standard of living. If a region depended on that industry, it would experience high unemployment rates. That makes multilateral agreements unpopular.

Pros

  • Treats all member nations equally

  • Makes international trading easier

  • Trade regulations are the same for everyone

  • Helps emerging markets

  • Multiple nations are covered by one treaty

Cons

  • Negotiations can be lengthy, risk breaking down

  • Easily misunderstood by the public

  • Removing trade borders affects businesses

  • Benefits large corporations but not small businesses

Examples

Some regional trade agreements are multilateral. The largest had been the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was ratified on January 1, 1994. NAFTA quadrupled trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico from its 1993 level to 2018. On July 1, 2020, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) went into effect. The USMCA was a new trade agreement between the three countries that was negotiated under President Donald Trump.

The Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) was signed on August 5, 2004. CAFTA-DR eliminated tariffs on more than 80% of U.S. exports to six countries: Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. The agreement increased trade from -$1.2 billion in 2005 to 8.6 billion in 2021.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would have been bigger than NAFTA. Negotiations concluded on October 4, 2015. After becoming president, Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement. He promised to replace it with bilateral agreements. The TPP was between the United States and 11 other countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. It would have removed tariffs and standardized business practices.

All global trade agreements are multilateral. The most successful one is the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). Twenty-three countries signed GATT in 1947. Its goal was to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers.

In September 1986, the Uruguay Round began in Punta del Este, Uruguay. It centered on extending trade agreements to several new areas. These included services and intellectual property. It also improved trade in agriculture and textiles. The Uruguay Round led to the creation of the World Trade Organization. On April 15, 1994, the 123 participating governments signed the agreement creating the WTO in Marrakesh, Morocco. The WTO assumed management of future global multilateral negotiations.

The WTO's first project was the Doha round of trade agreements in 2001. That was a multilateral trade agreement among all WTO members. Developing countries would allow imports of financial services, particularly banking. In so doing, they would have to modernize their markets. In return, the developed countries would reduce farm subsidies. That would boost the growth of developing countries that were good at producing food.

Farm lobbies in the United States and the European Union doomed the Doha negotiations. They refused to agree to lower subsidies or accept increased foreign competition. The WTO abandoned the Doha round in July 2008.

On December 7, 2013, WTO representatives agreed to the so-called Bali package. All countries agreed to streamline customs standards and reduce red tape to expedite trade flows. Food security is an issue. India wants to subsidize food so it could stockpile it to distribute in case of famine. Other countries worry that India may dump the cheap food in the global market to gain market share.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who facilitates multilateral trade agreements?

Different organizations oversee different types of trade agreements. The overseeing organization depends on the nations involved and what associations they have. The World Trade Organization is one of the largest international trade organizations. It helps provide a forum for trade negotiations and can step in to settle disputes.

Which currency is mainly used for international trade?

Most international transactions in most parts of the world use the U.S. dollar. More than 60% of all global trade uses the dollar, excluding trade in Europe. The euro dominates in Europe, but the dollar still comprises roughly 20% of international trade in that region.

What do we call a trade agreement between two countries?

Bilateral trade agreements are agreements between countries to promote trade and commerce. They eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs, import quotas, and export restraints in order to encourage trade and investment.

What are the types of trade agreements?

TYPES OF TRADE AGREEMENTS.
Free Trade Agreement. ... .
Preferential Trade Agreement. ... .
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. ... .
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. ... .
Framework agreement. ... .
Early Harvest Scheme..

What is an example of a bilateral trade agreement?

The United States and Morocco, the U.S and Brazil, and the European Union and Japan trade agreements are all examples of successful bilateral trades.

What is meant by regional trade agreements?

A regional trade agreement (RTA) is a treaty between two or more governments that define the rules of trade for all signatories.