1986-93 – The Uruguay Round of the GATT, or General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, leads to reductions in agricultural subsidies and other agreements on textiles and intellectual property rights.
1995 – Members of the GATT agree to form the World Trade Organization.
1999 December – WTO talks in Seattle designed to launch a new round of subsidy cutting and trade liberalization collapse. About 30,000 protestors disrupt the summit.
2001 November – WTO members meeting in Doha, Qatar, agree on the Doha Development Agenda, intended to open negotiations on opening markets to agricultural and manufactured goods.
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2001 December – China formally joins the WTO. Taiwan is admitted weeks later.
2003 September – World trade talks in Cancun, Mexico, collapse after four days of wrangling over farm subsidies, access to markets.
2004 August – Geneva talks achieve framework agreement on opening up global trade. U.S. and EU will reduce agricultural subsidies, while developing nations will cut tariffs on manufactured goods.
2005 December – Hong Kong meeting was to be where a draft accord for the Doha Round would be accepted by member country ministers, but deep disagreements remain, forcing participants to scale back expectations for the meeting.
2006 March – Many believe this is the latest date for agreement on a framework accord to allow for a final pact by the end of 2006.
2007 summer Ð U.S. president’s “fast track” trade authority legislation runs out. Legislation requires U.S. lawmakers to vote on trade pacts without making changes. Without it, Congress could approve amendments that would unravel the deal.
