[20150728]IN10331_世贸组织信息技术协议12月缔结.pdf

CRS InsightsExpansion of WTO Information Technology Agreement Targets December ConclusionRachel F. Fefer, Analyst in International Trade and Finance (rfefercrs.loc.gov, 7-1804)July 28, 2015 (IN10331)On July 24, 2015, the United States and 80 other World Trade Organization (WTO) members reached tentative agreement to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and eliminate tariffs on 201 goods not included in the original 1996 ITA. While global trade covered by the original ITA has more than tripled to $4 trillion, the agreement had not been expanded to include more recent technology innovations. The newly added products account for approximately 7% of total global trade, or $1.3 trillion per year. While the original ITA includes products such as calculators, computers, ATMs, monitors, transistors, and certain machine parts and accessories, the expanded agreement will cover more recent innovations including U.S. exports such as next generation semiconductors, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners, and a large selection of medical devices.Unlike free trade agreements such as the proposed Trans-P