Barbados Addresses Potential Protectionist Threats in Global Trade Discussion at World Economic Forum

The digital divide, where some states have access to technology and technological advances while others do not, received the attention of the meeting as well.

“That is something that, again, we are discussing ways and means of trying to correct. And I made the point that it is not an easy task, because 260 million people from countries like Barbados and African states and developing south were unable to even attend school in the year 2020 and 2021,” he said.

Symmonds said while some countries are talking about artificial intelligence and making great strides to make their economies more competitive, there is still a need to make sure the basics are right.

Dispute settlement was also discussed, Symmonds said. He said it “has been a major issue here with the World Trade Organisation for some time, and that is because the United States has not wanted any third party to make decisions that impact its national interests and its own national direction”.

He continued: “We take the position, and certainly I take the position as foreign minister, that it is critical for any type of commercial activity anywhere in the world, that if there is a dispute, that there must be a sound way of resolving that dispute. And the World Trade Organisation is now trying to work around this impediment where, for a long time, we have had a void. There is no satisfactory resolution to disputes and conflicts, and that must be corrected.”

He said whether it is rectified through mediation or conciliatory means, is to be decided as part of the ongoing process and will be prioritised for Barbados.

Symmonds said: “With regard to special and differential treatment, we heard the happy news from China today that they, relating to matters of development, are not going to be insisting on treatment of a special and differential nature; and I think that that sends a signal to the world, that they are not going to equate themselves to a small or developing economy as has been the case for some time, but really now taking a more mature posture and saying ‘look, we will lead by example, and that we recognise that we are an economy of some scale and some capacity and therefore we are going to act as such’.”

The foreign affairs minister said he hopes that others who have scale and capacity recognise that excluding small states from their markets and making life more difficult than it need be, is not the best way to go.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb