China's textile trade

Vice-Minister GAO Huchen recently spoke about the state of China's textile trade. Here are some key facts:

1. By restricting the growth on a small portion of China's textile exports (which accounts for only 7.4% of the total value of China's textile exports in 2006), China has been able to secure stable growth for the majority of its textile exports.

2. The utilization rate of the quota under the China-EU textile deal is only 54%−97%.

3. The quantitative restriction would expire at the end of 2007. After that, the textile products under the China-EU deal would be subject to a bilateral monitoring system, but no quota will be applied.

The full statement is available in Chinese here.

First Chinese in the WTO Appellate Body

According to a leaked report, the WTO Selection Committee for AB
members has recommended Prof. Zhang Yuejiao, along with 3 other
candidates, be appointed as AB members in 2008. If the recommendation
is adopted by the WTO Members, this will be the first time a Chinese
citizen is ever appointed to the "World Court on Trade".

In addition to Prof. Zhang, there are two other new Members from Asia,
i.e., Bautista (Philippines) and Oshima (Japan). As there are now
three members from Asia, the interesting question is which one
represents the Asian seat. Obviously that would not be Japan, as
Japan's seat is among those reserved for three of the quad countries
and Japan usually does not regard itself as part of Asia for various
reasons. As between China and the Philippines, I suspect that China
will probably hold to this seat for a long time, if not forever,
considering that China is the 3rd largest trader and has not had
anyone serving as Panelist yet (excluding those from HK and Chinese
Taipei). Thus, it seems the truly Asian (including Oceania) seat would
be that of the Philippines. This could mean that, in addition to Japan
and China, citizens of other Asian countries, such as Korea, Malaysia
or Singapore, could one day have their citizens appointed as AB
members.

When the WTO AB was first established in 1995, 3 of the 7 seats were
allocated to three of the "Quad countries" while the directorship of
the AB Secretariat allocated to Canada, the fourth Quad member. As
China now claims the AB seat in its own right rather than as a
rotational Asian seat, it seems that China is filling the vacuum left
by Canada, which has dropped out of the top four traders lately, and
becomes a new Quad member.

HKU ranked 18th in the world 香港大學世界排名十八

Message from The Vice-Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, Students, Alumni and Friends of the University,

It is my great pleasure to report that in today's Times Higher
Education Supplement (THES), HKU has been ranked 18th amongst
the world's top universities for 2007. This ranking puts us at the top
of all the universities in China and Hong Kong, and makes us the 2nd
highest ranked university in Asia, just after Tokyo University.

Although many of us at the University regard rankings and league
tables with a degree of ambivalence, as they often highlight only
certain aspects of the achievements of universities, I think we can all
agree that our position in the well-respected THES league table at
least indicates that HKU is among the very best in the world.

I hope all members of the HKU Family are proud of the University's
achievement and happy to share its success.

Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone
for the hard work, contribution and dedication, for without which it
would not have been possible for HKU to attain this exceptional
recognition. And, as a publicly funded university, we must also thank
the Government and the general public for believing in our cause and
supporting our endeavours.

I look forward to working with you as we strive to bring the University
to even greater heights of excellence.

Lap-Chee Tsui
Vice-Chancellor

HKU Press Release http://www.hku.hk/press/

各位同事、同學、校友及各界友好：

我很高興向各位報告一個喜訊，今天「泰晤士報高等教育特刊」公佈2007年世界大
學排行榜，香港大學躍居第十八位，實在令人鼓舞。這項排名顯示香港大學在本港
及全國大學中名列首位，在亞洲大學中居亞，緊隨東京大學之後。

雖然港大許多成員對大學排名及此類排行榜都頗為審慎，原因是排行榜著眼點各
異，分別根據大學不同方面的成就進行甄別；縱然如此，我相信大家都同意，港大
在備受重視的「泰晤士報高等教育特刊」中走在前排，至少顯示港大跟世界最優秀
學府並列。

我希望港大這個大家庭所有成員都能以大學的成就為榮，分享這份喜悅。

然而我更希望藉此機會感謝大家辛勤努力，全心全意作出貢獻，正是如此，港大才
能贏得殊榮，得到讚頌。還有，港大作為一所受政府資助的公立大學，我們更要感
謝政府及市民大眾對我們的信賴，支持我們努力向前。

百尺竿頭，我期待大家繼續攜手，力臻卓越，讓香港大學攀上更高峰。

徐立之
香港大學校長

Research Fellow position available from the Emerging Dynamic Global Economies (EDGE) Network

Research Fellow: Emerging Dynamic Global Economies (EDGE) Network

 

WTO Institutional Reform Project

 

Location: University of Ottawa

 

The Emerging Dynamic Global Economies (EDGE) Network is now accepting applications for the position of a Research Fellow for its World Trade Organisation (WTO) Institutional Reform Project. The project is an international collaborative research project, funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), Canada.

 

Project Description:

 

The project will examine questions relating to the governance and legitimacy of the WTO as an international organization within the rapidly transforming global economy. It will focus fundamentally on the institutional structure of the WTO as an international organization.  Issues to be analyzed are: decision making within the WTO, transparency, internal management structure, external relationships, and the role of regional trade agreements within the multilateral system. The objective of the project is to develop concrete, practical proposals and policy recommendations that are capable of being implemented within the WTO.

 

Qualifications:

 

-         Graduate or post-doc student in international trade law, with knowledge of WTO's institutional structure

-         Strong interest and academic background in the area of international trade law

-         Candidates should be well organized with strong research and writing skills

-         Fluency in English is essential, with strong writing skills in English

-         Candidate must be a citizen of a developing country

 

Start and End Date:

 

We expect to fill this position at the earliest and the fellowship will last until 30 September 2008.

 

Remuneration: Stipend plus transportation and health insurance will be provided

 

To Apply: Please send your CV and a brief note explaining your interests, availability as well as nationality and visa status to the following address:

Emerging Dynamic Global Economies (EDGE) Network

Faculty of Law (Common Law)

University of Ottawa | Université d'Ottawa

57 Louis-Pasteur

Ottawa, Canada K1N 6N5

Email: edge-net@uottawa.ca

Attention: Professor Debra Steger