Joint Declaration Against Trade-Related Economic Coercion and Non-Market Policies and Practices

Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, endorsed a Joint Declaration Against Trade-Related Economic Coercion and Non-Market Policies and Practices. The decision, made at a Ministerial meeting in Paris, extends the initiatives discussed during the G7 Leaders’ Statement on Economic Resilience and Economic Security in May 2023.

The central aim of this Joint Declaration is to combat the negative impacts of trade-related economic coercion and non-market policies on the multilateral trading system and international relations. 

The declaration identifies harmful non-market policies such as state-sponsored theft of trade secrets, forced technology transfer, arbitrary application of regulations, and government interference in commercial decision-making, among others.  Such activities, according to the declaration, serve as tools of economic coercion, distorting the global trading system and harming international relations.

The declaration also highlights concerns about the use of forced labor, particularly state-sponsored forced labor, in global supply chains.

The governments commit to work together to deter and address these issues, including through cooperation in WTO committees and in disputes to challenge these practices. However, the declaration does not apply to measures adopted transparently and in good faith for legitimate public policy objectives.

[Link to Document]

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