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British Economy:. Lawrence Lui Frank Fritsch. Department of Trade and Industry. Background. World’s eight largest exporter of goods (£ 191 billion in 2004) Second largest exporter of services (£ 96 billion in 2004) Exports are equivalent to around one-quarter of GDP
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British Economy: Lawrence Lui Frank Fritsch
Background • World’s eight largest exporter of goods (£ 191 billion in 2004) • Second largest exporter of services (£ 96 billion in 2004) • Exports are equivalent to around one-quarter of GDP • Highest ratio of inward and outward investment to GDP of any leading economy
Goals • Living standards and the competitiveness of our industry depend on our ability to trade and invest freely • Maximizing the opportunities for international trade • Liberalization • Opening the markets of developing countries
Trade and Investment: how the UK benefits • lower prices and wider choice for consumers • Promotes economic growth in developed and less developed economies
UK trade and investment • UK Trade & Investment is the Government organization that supports companies in the UK doing business internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to set up or expand in the UK
UK trade and investment • Has contacts with over 200 different UK embassies that will help with the trading policy
Gains from liberalization • Since then, average industrial tariffs of developed countries have fallen from nearly 40% to less than 5% through eight rounds of multilateral trade liberalization • A more liberal investment environment has facilitated increased overseas investment • By 2003 the world stock of foreign direct investment was equivalent to 23% of world GDP compared with 6% in 1982
Current: Trade Deficit • Narrowed to 3.9 billion pounds ($6.8 B) • Compared to 5.8 billion pounds in August • Export to EU down 3% • Exports to rest of world up 9%
Developing Countries & Trade • Competitive domestic markets • promotes greater use of the market • more stable and less arbitrary policy intervention • stronger competition • macro-economic stability
Involvement in multiple organizations to help international trade. • Special/Differential Treatment in the WTO • The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) • Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) • The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) • EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) • Current: Indo-British Partnership Network (IBPN)
Presidency of the EU and DTI's four main goals • Better regulation • Open and sustainable markets in an outward facing Europe • Boosting our economies’ potential for research and innovation • Promoting employment • Current: EU budget rebate proposal for 2007 - 2013
WTO: G8 (G7) • Group of 7/8 • Leaders discuss ways to address major economic and political issues • Who are the G7 Finance Ministers and what is their role?
Chancellor: Gordon Brown • The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters • He also has oversight of public spending across Government departments, and is generally second only to the Prime Minister in political power
END. Questions?