International trade is exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, it represents a significant share of gross domestic product (GDP). While international trade has been present throughout much of history (see Silk Road, Amber Road), its economic, social, and political importance has been on the rise in recent centuries.
Industrialization, advanced transportation, globalization, multinational corporations, and outsourcing are all having a major impact on the international trade system. Increasing international trade is crucial to the continuance of globalization. Without international trade, nations would be limited to the goods and services produced within their own borders.
Although the path of world trade growth has been uneven in the past few years
(Contraction in 1998, rebound in 1999 and 2000, followed by a slowdown in 2001), the fact that trade continued to expand faster than output is indicative of the increasing openness of national economies. Part of this development is due to the gradual but continued trend towards more liberal trade policies around the world. Since the establishment of the WTO in 1995, Members have been implementing staged reductions in bound tariffs, in domestic levels of support and export subsidy levels for agricultural products, and lifting non-tariff barriers. Specific measures, targeted on improving market access for least-developed countries in particular, have also been implemented. At the same time, with a view to improving the transparency, stability and openness of their trading environments, a number of WTO Members have been changing the procedural aspects of their trade policy regimes, particularly with respect to licensing and customs valuation. These efforts have resulted, without doubt, in more open markets, on the whole. Nevertheless, significant barriers to