WTO & Current Events

Today we discussed in class the World Trade Organization, its predecessor, GATT, other trade organizations and the impacts these have on understanding the world stage for trade. As International Trade majors, these weren't new concepts to my students, but the fact that the WTO is concurrently meeting in Hong Kong right now makes it more facinating to me. Another trade group, ASAEN was also meeting in Malasia Monday-Weds.

At night I watch the Beijing channel CCTV9 which is in English. The news segment is hosted by British reporters in the studio and Chinese in the field. They highlighted the WTO meetings. But the ASAEN news report had a great deal of coverage and expanded into a separate program that followed called Dialog, had two pundits (one a Beijing professor and the other a guy from America) talking about the discussions and issues being discussed (or not discussed as they perceived it)was rather facinating for this Eastern Asia meeting of ASAEN.

First, having this type of insight into the issues facing Eastern Asia and the discussion surrounding different aspects was something I would never have access to in America. Second, by being here and observing this debate--including why the US wasn't invited to it and the different historical perspectives of both pundits--gives me a totally new perspective on East Asia and how the countries view each other.

This made today's lesson for me even more relative.