Modern trends in the development of international trade in services. International trade New trends in the development of trade in services brief

Organizational and technical aspect studies physical exchange of goods and services between state-registered national economies (states). The main attention is paid to the problems associated with the purchase (sale) of specific goods, their movement between counterparties (seller - buyer) and crossing state borders, with settlements, etc. These aspects of MT are studied by specific special (applied) disciplines - organization and technique of foreign trade operations, customs, international financial and credit operations, international law(its various branches), accounting, etc.

Organizational and market aspect defines MT as combination of world demand and world supply, which materialize in two counter flows of goods and (or) services - world export (export) and world import (import). At the same time, the world supply is understood as the volume of production of goods that consumers are willing to collectively purchase at the existing price level inside and outside the country, and the aggregate supply is understood as the volume of production of goods that producers are ready to offer on the market at the existing price level. They are usually considered only in value terms. The problems that arise in this case are mainly related to the study of the state of the market for specific goods (the ratio of supply and demand on it - the conjuncture), the optimal organization of commodity flows between countries, taking into account a wide variety of factors, but above all the price factor.

These problems are studied by international marketing and management, theories of international trade and the world market, international monetary and financial relations.

Socio-economic aspect considers MT as a special type public economic relations arising between states in the process and about the exchange of goods and services. These relationships have a number of features that make them particularly important in the global economy.

First of all, it should be noted that they are global in nature, since all states and all their economic groupings are involved in them; they are an integrator, uniting national economies into a single world economy and internationalizing it, based on the international division of labor (IDL). MT determines what is more profitable for the state to produce and under what conditions to exchange the produced product. Thus, it contributes to the expansion and deepening of the MRT, and hence the MT, involving more and more states in them. These relations are objective and universal, i.e. they exist independently of the will of one (group) person and are suitable for any state. They are able to systematize the world economy, placing the states depending on the development of foreign trade (BT) in it, on the share that it (BT) occupies in international trade, on the size of the average per capita foreign trade turnover. On this basis, "small" countries are distinguished - those that cannot influence the change in the price of MR if they change their demand for any product and, conversely, "large" countries. Small countries, in order to make up for this weakness in this or that market, often unite (integrate) and present aggregate demand and aggregate supply. But large countries can also unite, thus strengthening their position in the MT.

Characteristics of international trade

A number of indicators are used to characterize international trade:

cost and physical volume of world trade;
general, commodity and geographical (spatial) structure;
the level of specialization and industrialization of exports;
coefficients of elasticity of MT, exports and imports, terms of trade;
foreign trade, export and import quotas;
trade balance.

World trade

World trade turnover is the sum of foreign trade turnover of all countries. Foreign trade turnover of the country- this is the sum of exports and imports of one country with all countries with which it is in foreign trade relations.

Since all countries import and export goods and services, world trade also defined as sum of world exports and world imports.

State world trade is estimated by its volume for a certain time period or on a certain date, and development- the dynamics of these volumes for a certain period.

The volume is measured in value and physical terms, respectively, in US dollars and in physical terms (tons, meters, barrels, etc., if it is applied to a homogeneous group of goods), or in conventional physical terms, if the goods do not have a single natural measurement . To assess the physical volume, the value volume is divided by the average world price.

To assess the dynamics of world trade, chain, basic and average annual growth rates (indices) are used.

MT structure

The structure of world trade shows ratio in its total volume of certain parts, depending on the chosen feature.

General structure reflects the ratio of exports and imports as a percentage or in shares. In physical volume, this ratio is equal to 1, and in total, the share of imports is always greater than the share of exports. This is due to the fact that exports are valued at FOB (Free on board) prices, according to which the seller pays only for the delivery of goods to the port and its loading on board the vessel; imports are valued at CIF prices (cost, insurance, freight, i.e. they include in the cost of goods, freight cost, insurance costs and other port fees).

Commodity structure world trade shows the share of a particular group in its total volume. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in the MT a product is considered as a product that satisfies some social need, to which two main market forces are directed - supply and demand, and one of them necessarily acts from abroad.

Goods produced in national economies participate in MT in different ways. Some of them don't participate at all. Therefore, all goods are divided into tradable and non-tradable.

Tradable goods are freely movable between countries, non-tradable ones, for one reason or another (uncompetitive, strategically important for the country, etc.) do not move between countries. When talking about the commodity structure of world trade, we are talking only about tradable goods.

In the most general proportion in world trade, trade in goods and services is singled out. Currently, the ratio between them is 4:1.

In world practice, various classification systems for goods and services are used. For example, merchandise trading uses the Standard International trade classification(UN) - SMTK, in which 3118 main commodity items are combined into 1033 subgroups (of which 2805 items are included in 720 subgroups), which are aggregated into 261 groups, 67 departments and 10 sections. Most countries use the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (including the Russian Federation since 1991).

When characterizing the commodity structure of world trade, there are most often two large groups goods: raw materials and finished products, the ratio between which (in percent) was 20: 77 (3% other). For certain groups of countries, it varies from 15: 82 (for developed countries with market economy) (3% others) up to 45:55 (for developing countries). For individual countries (foreign trade turnover), the range of variations is even wider. This ratio may change depending on changes in the prices of raw materials, especially energy.

For a more detailed description of the commodity structure, a diversified approach can be used (within the framework of the SMTC or within other frameworks in accordance with the objectives of the analysis).

To characterize world exports, it is important to calculate the share of engineering products in its total volume. Comparing it with a similar indicator of the country allows us to calculate the index of industrialization of its exports (I), which can be in the range from 0 to 1. The closer it is to 1, the more the trends in the development of the country's economy coincide with the trends in the development of the world economy.

Geographic (spatial) structure world trade is characterized by its distribution along the lines of commodity flows - the totality of goods (in physical terms) moving between countries.

Distinguish between commodity flows between countries with developed market economies (SRRE). They are commonly referred to as "West-West" or "North-North". They account for about 60% of world trade; between SRRE and RS, which stand for "West-South" or "North-South", they account for over 30% of world trade; between RS - "South - South" - about 10%.

In the spatial structure, one should also distinguish between regional, integration and intra-corporate turnover. These are parts of world trade, reflecting its concentration within one region (for example, Southeast Asia), one integration grouping (for example, the EU) or one corporation (for example, any TNC). Each of them is characterized by its general, commodity and geographical structure and reflects the trends and degree of internationalization and globalization of the world economy.

MT Specialization

To assess the degree of specialization of world trade, the index of specialization (T) is calculated. It shows the share of intra-industry trade (exchange of parts, assemblies, semi-finished products, finished items one industry, for example, cars of different brands, models) in the total volume of world trade. Its value is always in the range 0-1; the closer it is to 1, the deeper the international division of labor (MRI) in the world, the greater the role of the intra-industry division of labor in it. Naturally, its value will depend on how broadly the industry is defined: the wider it is, the higher the T coefficient.

A special place in the complex of indicators of world trade is occupied by those that allow us to assess the impact of world trade on the world economy. These include, first of all, the coefficient of elasticity of world trade. It is calculated as the ratio of the growth rates of physical volumes of GDP (GNP) and trade. Its economic content lies in the fact that it shows by how many percent the GDP (GNP) increased with an increase in trade turnover by 1%. The global economy is characterized by a tendency to strengthen the role of MT. For example, in 1951-1970. the coefficient of elasticity was 1.64; in 1971-1975 and 1976-1980 - 1.3; in 1981-1985 - 1.12; in 1987-1989 - 1.72; in 1986-1992 - 2.37. As a rule, during periods of economic crises, the coefficient of elasticity is lower than during periods of recession and recovery.

Terms of trade

Terms of trade is a coefficient that establishes a relationship between the average world prices of exports and imports, since it is calculated as the ratio of their indices for a certain period of time. Its value varies from 0 to + ¥: if it is equal to 1, then the terms of trade are stable and maintain the parity of export and import prices. If the ratio increases (compared to the previous period), then the terms of trade are improving and vice versa.

MT elasticity coefficients

Elasticity of imports— an index that characterizes the change in aggregate demand for imports resulting from changes in the terms of trade. It is calculated as a percentage of import volumes and its price. In its numerical value, it is always greater than zero and changes to
+ ¥. If its value is less than 1, then a 1% price increase led to an increase in demand by more than 1%, and therefore, the demand for imports is elastic. If the coefficient is more than 1, then the demand for imports has grown by less than 1%, which means that imports are inelastic. Therefore, an improvement in the terms of trade forces a country to increase its spending on imports if demand is elastic, and to decrease it if it is inelastic, while increasing spending on exports.

Export elasticity and imports is also closely related to the terms of trade. With the elasticity of imports equal to 1 (a 1% drop in the price of imports led to an increase in its volume by 1%), the supply (export) of goods increases by 1%. This means that the elasticity of exports (Ex) will be equal to the elasticity of imports (Eim) minus 1, or Ex = Eim - 1. Thus, the higher the elasticity of imports, the more developed the market mechanism that allows producers to respond faster to changes in world prices. Low elasticity is fraught with serious economic problems for the country, if this is not due to other reasons: high capital investments made earlier in the industry, the inability to quickly reorient, etc.

These elasticity indicators can be used to characterize international trade, but they are more effective for characterizing foreign trade. This also applies to such indicators as foreign trade, export and import quotas.

MT quotas

The foreign trade quota (FTC) is defined as half the sum (S/2) of exports (E) and imports (I) of a country, divided by GDP or GNP and multiplied by 100%. It characterizes the average dependence on the world market, its openness to the world economy.

Analysis of the significance of exports for the country is estimated by the export quota - the ratio of the amount of exports to GDP (GNP), multiplied by 100%; The import quota is calculated as the ratio of imports to GDP (GNP) multiplied by 100%.

The growth of the export quota indicates the growth of its importance for the development of the country's economy, but this significance itself can be both positive and negative. It is certainly positive if exports expand. finished products, but the growth of exports of raw materials, as a rule, leads to a deterioration in the terms of trade for the exporting country. If, at the same time, exports are mono-commodity, then its growth can lead to the destruction of the economy, therefore such growth is called destructive. The result of such an increase in exports is the lack of funds for its further increase, and the deterioration in the terms of trade in terms of profitability does not allow acquiring the necessary amount of imports for export earnings.

Trade balance

The resulting indicator characterizing the country's foreign trade is the trade balance, which is the difference between the sum of exports and imports. If this difference is positive (which is what all countries strive for), then the balance is active; if it is negative, it is passive. The balance of trade is an integral part of the country's balance of payments and largely determines the latter.

Modern trends in the development of international trade in goods and services

The development of modern MT occurs under the influence of general processes taking place in the world economy. The economic recession that affected all groups of countries, the Mexican and Asian financial crises, the growing size of internal and external imbalances in many states, including developed ones, could not but cause uneven development of international trade, a slowdown in its growth in the 1990s. At the beginning of the XXI century. the growth rate of world trade increased, and in 2000-2005. it increased by 41.9%.

The world market is characterized by trends associated with the further internationalization of the world economy and its globalization. They are manifested in the growing role of MT in the development of the world economy, and foreign trade in the development of national economies. The first is confirmed by the increase in the elasticity coefficient of world trade (more than twice as compared to the mid-1980s), and the second is by the growth of export and import quotas for most countries.

"Openness", "interdependence" of economies, "integration" are becoming key concepts for the world economy and international trade. In many ways, this happened under the influence of TNCs, which really became the centers of coordination and engines of the world exchange of goods and services. Within themselves and among themselves, they have created a network of relationships that go beyond the borders of states. As a result, about 1/3 of all imports and up to 3/5 of trade in machinery and equipment falls on intracorporate trade and is an exchange of intermediate products (component products). The consequence of this process is the barterization of international trade and the growth of other types of countertrade transactions, which already account for up to 30% of all international trade. This part of the world market is losing its purely commercial features and is turning into so-called quasi-trade. It is served by specialized intermediary firms, banking and financial institutions. At the same time, the nature of competition in the world market and the structure of competitive factors are changing. The development of economic and social infrastructure, the presence of a competent bureaucracy, a strong educational system, a sustainable policy of macroeconomic stabilization, quality, design, style of product design, timely delivery, after-sales service are put forward to the fore. As a result, there is a clear stratification of countries on the basis of technological leadership in the world market. Fortune accompanies those countries that have new competitive advantages, i.e. they are technological leaders. They are a minority in the world, but they get most of the FDI, which enhances their technological leadership and competitiveness in the IR.

Significant shifts are taking place in the commodity structure of MT: the share of finished products and the share of food and raw materials (without fuel) has declined. This happened as a result of the further development of scientific and technical progress, which increasingly replaces natural raw materials with synthetic ones, and allows the implementation of resource-saving technologies in production. At the same time, trade in mineral fuels (especially oil) and gas has grown sharply. This is due to a complex of factors, including the development of the chemical industry, changes in the fuel and energy balance, and an unprecedented increase in oil prices, which at the end of the decade, compared to its beginning, more than doubled.

The share of science-intensive goods and high-tech products (microtechnical, chemical, pharmaceutical, aerospace, etc. products) is growing in the trade in finished goods. This is especially clear in the exchange between developed countries - technological leaders. For example, in the foreign trade of the USA, Switzerland and Japan, the share of such products accounts for over 20%, Germany and France - about 15%.

The geographical structure of international trade has also changed quite noticeably, although the “West-West” sector, which accounts for about 70% of world trade, is still decisive for its development, and within this sector a dozen (USA, Germany, Japan, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden).

At the same time, trade between developed countries and developing countries is growing more dynamically. This is due to a whole range of factors, not least of which is the disappearance of a whole cluster of countries in transition. According to the UNCTAD classification, all of them have moved into the category of developing countries (except for 8 CEE countries that joined the EU on May 1, 2004). UNCTAD estimates that MS was the driving force behind the development of MT in the 1990s. They remain so at the beginning of the 21st century. This is due to the fact that although the markets of the RS are less capacious than the markets of the RSEM, they are more dynamic and therefore more attractive for their developed partners, especially for TNCs. At the same time, the purely agrarian and raw materials specialization of most RSs is supplemented by the transfer to them of functions for supplying industrial centers with material-intensive and labor-intensive products of manufacturing industries, based on the use of cheaper work force. Often these are the most environmentally polluted industries. TNCs contribute to the growth of the share of finished products in the export of the RS, however commodity structure trade in this sector remains predominantly raw materials (by 70-80%), which makes it very vulnerable to price fluctuations in the world market and deteriorating terms of trade.

There are a number of very acute problems in the trade of developing countries, primarily due to the fact that price remains the main factor in their competitiveness, and the terms of trade, which change not in their favor, inevitably lead to an increase in its imbalance and less intensive growth. Eliminating these problems involves optimizing the commodity structure of foreign trade based on the diversification of industrial production, eliminating the technological backwardness of countries that makes their exports of finished products uncompetitive, and increasing the activity of countries in trade in services.

Modern MT is characterized by a trend towards the development of trade in services, especially business services (engineering, consulting, leasing, factoring, franchising, etc.). If in 1970 the volume of world exports of all services (including all types of international and transit transport, foreign tourism, banking services, etc.) amounted to 80 billion dollars, then in 2005 it was about 2.2 trillion. dollars, i.e., almost 28 times more.

At the same time, the growth rate of exports of services is slowing down and significantly lags behind the growth rates of exports of goods. So, if for 1996-2005. the average annual export of goods and services almost doubled compared to the previous decade, then in 2001-2005. The increase in exports of goods on average per year was 3.38%, and services - 2.1%. As a result, the indicator of the share of services in the total volume of world trade is stagnating: in 1996 it was 20%, in 2000 - 19.6%, in 2005 - 20.1%. The leading positions in this trade in services are occupied by the RSEM, they account for about 80% of the total volume of international trade in services, which is due to their technological leadership.

The global market for goods and services is characterized by trends associated with the further internationalization of the world economy. In addition to the growing role of MT in the development of the world economy, the transformation of foreign trade into an integral part of the national reproduction process, there is a clear trend towards its further liberalization. This is confirmed not only by the decrease in the average level customs duties but also by the elimination (easing) of quantitative restrictions on imports, the expansion of trade in services, the change in the nature of the world market itself, which now receives not so much the surplus of national production of goods as pre-agreed deliveries of goods produced specifically for a particular consumer.

Foreign trade is the main form of world economic relations. In terms of dynamics and value indicators, it is ahead of the growth of world production, the movement of capital and other types of foreign economic relations, which is one of the most important characteristics of the modern world economy. Growth rates of international export-import operations exceed the growth rates of the main segments of world production, incl. industrial goods, minerals and agricultural products.

The increasing importance of trade in the world economy, as well as its intensive development, are due to the objective process of globalization and the increased interdependence of most countries of the world. Significant progress in the development of the international division of labor contributed to the intensification of world commodity exchange.

In the field of trade exchange, international regimes and multilateral agreements were developed within the framework of the WTO - international organization, acting on the basis of a multilateral agreement that establishes the principles and rules of world trade. The activities of the WTO are aimed at the liberalization of export-import operations and, in particular, at the reduction and elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers.

The significant liberalization of the foreign trade policy of the developing countries, the expansion of the scale of trade between them and, in addition, the preservation of a favorable conjuncture in the markets of industrial products in many developing and newly industrialized countries contributed to a further increase in international trade. The revolution in the field was also significant. information technologies and means of telecommunications. The value of exports of office and telecommunications equipment since the early 1990s. almost doubled and reached in 1998 almost 15% of the total value of world trade.

An important factor in the growth of world trade is a significant increase in the re-export of manufactured goods manufactured in developing countries using components and materials imported under trade agreement systems.

IN last years there have been significant changes in the structure of world trade. In particular, the share of communication and information technology services has increased significantly, while the share of trade in commodities and agricultural products has been declining.

Certain changes are also taking place in the geographical distribution of world trade. The trade of developing countries is gradually growing, but the volume of goods flows from the newly industrialized countries is growing at an especially rapid pace.

Among countries with economies in transition, the most dynamically developing international trade China, which allowed the country to enter the top ten largest trading powers in the world.

At the same time, a significant part of the world trade turnover - about a third of the world's export-import transactions - falls on the leading industrialized countries (USA, Germany and Japan). France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium are among the largest trading countries in the world.

"Modern trends in the development of world trade" and others

Currently, no state in the world can successfully develop without integration into the world economy. Moreover, there is a direct proportional relationship between the degree of integration into the world economy and the level of development of the domestic economy. As a rule, the more integrated a country is in the global economic space, the higher the level of development of its domestic economy, and vice versa.

In the modern world economy, foreign economic relations are an important exogenous (external origin) factor that has a significant impact on the dynamics and sustainability of development. national economy, the formation of its structure, the efficiency of functioning.

For many countries of the world, the dynamic development of foreign economic relations has become a catalyst for domestic economic growth. In particular, for the newly industrialized countries, foreign economic relations have become the main structure-forming factor in the process of forming in them a dynamic model of sustainable economic development.

Foreign economic relations play a special role in global integration processes. Dynamism, liberalization, diversification of forms and types of foreign economic activity are characteristic of the present stage of development of world economic relations.

One of the important trends in the development of world economic relations is the diversification of forms of cooperation. In addition to the traditional forms of foreign economic relations - foreign trade and investment cooperation - scientific and technical cooperation, industrial cooperation, monetary and military-technical cooperation, tourism, etc. have been actively developing in recent years.

The main form of world economic relations is still foreign trade, which, in terms of dynamics and cost indicators, is ahead of the movement of capital and other types of foreign economic relations. In addition, the growth rate of international export-import operations exceeds the growth rate of world industrial production.

After 5 years of rather moderate growth and stagnation in 1993, the volume of world trade since 1994 began to grow at a rather high rate. The growth rate of world trade in 1994 amounted to 9.5%, which is a record figure for the last 20 years.

According to preliminary data, in 1995 the volume of world trade increased by 8%. The intensification of commodity exchange was facilitated by significant progress in the development of the international division of labor. In addition, a significant factor in the growth of international trade has been the continued favorable environment in many developing countries and especially in the newly industrialized countries.

The information technology revolution has served as an impetus for the rapid development of world trade. The value of exports of office and telecommunications equipment increased by 25% in 1995 and reached 12% of the total value of world trade.

An important factor in the growth of world trade is a significant increase in the re-export of industrial goods manufactured in developing countries using components and materials imported in accordance with systems of trade preferences.

Industrialized countries control more than 70% of world trade. The world's largest trading powers are the United States, Germany and Japan, which account for about a third of the world's export-import transactions. The ten largest trading countries in the world include France, Great Britain, Italy. Canada, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg. In recent years, there has been a steady upward trend in the share of developing countries in world trade and, above all, the newly industrialized countries of Asia. In terms of the total volume of foreign trade ($920 billion in 1993), Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand are second only to the United States. These countries account for more than 10% of the total volume of world trade. Data on exports and imports of some countries and their shares in world exports and imports are presented in tables 1 and 2. Of the Asian, newly industrialized countries, Hong Kong is one of the ten largest trading powers in the world, which in 1993 occupied the 7th place in the atom list. in exports and 8th in imports. Hong Kong is far ahead of all countries in the world in terms of the value of exports and imports per capita.

Among the countries with economies in transition, China's foreign trade is developing most dynamically. From 1979 to 1995, the average annual growth in export-import transactions was 16.5%, which significantly exceeded the growth rate of world trade. The value of China's foreign trade increased from 24 billion dollars in 1979 to 281 billion dollars in 1995, which allowed the country to enter the ten largest trading powers in the world.

Modern international trade is developing at a fairly high pace. Among the main trends in the development of international trade are the following:

1) There is a predominant development of trade in comparison with the branches of material production and the entire world economy as a whole. Thus, according to some estimates, over the period of the 1950s-1990s, the world's GDP increased by about 5 times, and commodity exports - by at least 11 times. Accordingly, if in 2000 the world GDP was estimated at $30 trillion, then the volume of international trade - exports plus imports - was $12 trillion.
2) In the structure of international trade, the share of manufacturing products is growing (up to 75%), of which more than 40% are engineering products. Only 14% is fuel and other raw materials, the share of agricultural products is about 9%, clothing and textiles - 3%.
3) Among the changes in the geographical direction of international trade flows, there is an increase in the role of developed countries and China. However, developing countries (mainly due to the promotion of new industrial countries with a pronounced export orientation from among them) managed to significantly increase their influence in this area. In 1950, they accounted for only 16% of world trade, and by 2001 - already 41.2%. Since the second half of the 20th century, the uneven dynamics of foreign trade has manifested itself. In the 1960s, Western Europe was the main center of international trade. Its exports were almost 4 times higher than those of the United States. By the end of the 1980s, Japan began to emerge as a leader in terms of competitiveness. In the same period, it was joined by the "new industrial countries" of Asia - Singapore, Hong Kong Taiwan. However, by the mid-1990s, the United States was taking the world's leading position in terms of competitiveness. Export of goods and services in the world in 2007, according to the WTO, amounted to 16 trillion. USD. The share of the group of goods is 80%, and services - 20% of the total volume of trade in the world.
4) The most important direction in the development of foreign trade is intra-company trade within the framework of TNCs. According to some data, intra-company international deliveries account for up to 70% of all world trade, 80-90% of sales of licenses and patents. Since TNCs are the most important link in the world economy, world trade is at the same time trade within TNCs.
5) Trade in services is expanding, and in several ways. Firstly, this is a cross-border supply, for example, distance learning. Another way of supplying services - consumption abroad - involves the movement of the consumer or the transfer of his property to the country where the service is provided, for example, the service of a guide on a tourist trip. The third way is a commercial presence, such as the operation of a foreign bank or restaurant in the country. And the fourth way is moving individuals who are service providers abroad, such as doctors or teachers. The most developed countries of the world are the leaders in trade in services.

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Introduction

I. Theoretical foundations of the study of international trade

1.1 Theories of international trade

1.2 The history of the formation of international trade

1.3 Main indicators of world trade

II. Modern trends in the development of international trade

2.1 Forms of international trade and their features at the present stage

2.2 The current situation and trends in the development of international trade

2.3 Features of the structure of world trade at the present stage

2.4 Main problems of international trade

Conclusion

List of sources used

Applications

INconducting

International trade is the most developed and widespread form of international economic relations. It occupies the main place among the modern foreign policy interests and problems of the countries of the world. Therefore, the study of its essence, dynamics of development and modern structure is an important element for determining the foreign policy of the state of its development programs.

Based on this, we can formulate the following main goal of this course work, which is to determine the essence, study the dynamics and structure of international trade. This goal of the course work involves the following main tasks: the definition of the essence of world trade; study state of the art world trade and tendencies of its development; determination of the features of the structure of world trade at the present stage; consideration contemporary politics regarding international trade.

Thus, in this term paper the object of study will be international trade itself, and the subject - the factors, development dynamics and structure of modern international trade.

The study of this topic has been and is being done almost constantly. This is necessary condition both the work of individual organizations related to foreign trade, and the activities of each state in the implementation of its foreign policy and the development of medium- and long-term development programs. Therefore, the monitoring of the state of international trade, as well as the processes of forecasting and planning, do not stop, which is reflected in the wide interest in this topic. On questions of international trade there are articles in all the literature on international economic relations without exception. We can distinguish such authors: A. Smith, D. Ricardo and others, who covered theoretical basis international trade most widely. The application of analysis as a method of studying changes in international trade at the present stage involves consideration of two aspects: first, the rate of its growth in general (exports and imports) and relative to the growth of production; secondly, shifts in the structure: commodity (the ratio of the main groups of goods and services) and geographical (shares of regions, groups of countries and individual countries). The subject of the work itself involves the study of not only the quantitative characteristics of changes in international trade, but also the qualitative side of these changes. As a result of the analysis, using the synthesis method, conclusions will be drawn about the dynamics and structure of international trade. In accordance with the grouping method, groups of the main indicators of international trade, its forms will be formed, as well as its structure will be characterized.

I.Theoretical foundations for the study of international trade

1.1 Theories of international trade

International trade is a form of communication between producers of different countries, arising on the basis of the international division of labor, and expresses their mutual economic dependence. The following definition is often given in the literature: International trade is the process of buying and selling between buyers, sellers and intermediaries in different countries.

International trade includes the export and import of goods, the ratio between which is called the balance of trade. The UN statistical handbooks provide data on the volume and dynamics of world trade as the sum of the value of exports of all countries of the world (see Table A1., Appendix A).

The term "foreign trade" refers to the trade of a country with other countries, consisting of paid import (import) and paid export (export) of goods.

International trade is the paid total trade turnover between all countries of the world. However, the concept of "international trade" is also used in a narrower sense: for example, the total trade turnover of industrialized countries, the total trade turnover of developing countries, the total trade turnover of the countries of a continent, region, for example, the countries of Eastern Europe, etc.

National production differences are determined by different endowment with production factors - labor, land, capital, as well as different internal needs for certain goods. The effect that foreign trade has on the dynamics of national income growth, consumption and investment activity is characterized for each country by quite definite quantitative dependencies and can be calculated and expressed in the form of a specially developed multiplier.

At different times, various theories of world trade appeared and were refuted, which in one way or another tried to explain the origin of this phenomenon, to determine its goals, laws, advantages and disadvantages. The following are the most common theories of international trade.

Mercantilist theory. Within the framework of this theory, it was believed that the main goal of each state is wealth, and the world has limited wealth, and an increase in the wealth of one country is possible only at the expense of reducing the wealth of another country. At the same time, the role of the state in international economic policy was reduced to maintaining a positive trade balance and regulating foreign trade to stimulate exports and reduce imports.

The mercantilists were the first to emphasize the importance of international trade and were the first to describe the balance of payments. The main drawback of this theory is that here the development of countries is seen as possible only through the redistribution of wealth, and not through its growth.

A. Smith's theory of absolute advantages. It was believed that the well-being of nations depended not only on the amount of gold, but also on the ability to produce goods and services. Consequently, the task of the state is to develop production through the division of labor and cooperation. The formulation of the theory itself sounds like this: countries export those goods that they produce at lower costs, i.e. in the production of which they have absolute advantages, and I import those goods that are produced by other countries at lower costs, i.e. in the production of which the trading partners have an advantage.

This theory shows the advantages of the division of labor, but at the same time does not explain trade in the absence of absolute advantages.

D. Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage is formulated as follows: if countries specialize in the production of those goods that they can produce at relatively lower costs compared to other countries, then trade will be mutually beneficial regardless of whether production in one of them is absolutely more effective than the other or not.

This theory was the first to prove the existence of gains from trade and describe aggregate demand and aggregate supply. Although at the same time it does not take into account transport costs and the impact of foreign trade on the distribution of income within the country, acting only in conditions of full employment.

Heckscher-Ohlin's theory of ratio of factors of production. Operates with the concepts of factor intensity (the ratio of the cost of production factors to create a product) and factor saturation (provision with production factors). According to this theory, each country exports those factor-intensive goods for the production of which it has relatively excess factors of production, and imports those for the production of which it experiences a relative shortage of factors of production. This theory derives the reason for the influence of different factors of production on international trade. International trade leads to equalization of prices for factors of production in trading countries.

The limitation of the theory is that only two countries with identical technologies are considered and internal factors are not taken into account.

Leontief's paradox. The well-known economist Wassily Leontiev, studying the structure of US exports and imports in 1956, found that, contrary to the Heckscher-Ohlin theory, exports were dominated by relatively more labor-intensive goods, while imports were dominated by capital-intensive ones. This result became known as Leontief's paradox.

Thus, with the development of the concept of "international trade", its content became more complicated, although by now it has not been possible to create such a theory that would correspond to practice as much as possible.

1.2 The history of the formation of international trade

Originating in ancient times, world trade reaches a significant scale and acquires the character of stable international commodity-money relations at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. A powerful impetus to this process was the creation in a number of more industrialized countries (England, Holland, etc.) of large-scale machine production, focused on large-scale and regular imports of raw materials from the economically less developed countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and exports of manufactured goods to these countries. primarily for consumer use.

In the XX century. World trade has gone through a series of deep crises. The first of these was associated with the World War of 1914-1918, it led to a long and deep disruption of world trade, which lasted until the end of World War II, which shook the entire structure of international economic relations to its foundations. In the post-war period, world trade faced new difficulties associated with the collapse of the colonial system. However, all these crises were overcome. Generally feature post-war period, there was a noticeable acceleration in the pace of development of world trade, which reached the most high level throughout the history of human society. Moreover, the growth rate of world trade exceeded the growth rate of world GDP.

Since the second half of the 20th century, world trade has been developing at a rapid pace. In the period 1950-1994. world trade turnover increased 14 times. According to Western experts, the period between 1950 and 1970 can be described as a "golden age" in the development of international trade. Thus, the average annual growth rate of world exports was in the 50s. 6.0%, in the 60s. -8.2%. In the period from 1970 to 1991, the average annual growth rate was 9.0%, in 1991-1995. this figure was 6.2%. Accordingly, the volume of world trade also increased. Recently, this figure has been growing at an average of 1.9% per year.

In the post-war period, an annual growth of 7% in world exports was achieved. However, already in the 70s it dropped to 5%, decreasing even more in the 80s. In the late 80s, world exports showed a noticeable recovery - up to 8.5% in 1988. After a clear decline in the early 1990s, since the mid-1990s, it has again demonstrated high steady rates, even despite significant annual fluctuations caused first by the September 11 attacks in the United States, and then by the war in Iraq and the resulting surge in world prices for energy resources.

Since the second half of the 20th century, the uneven dynamics of foreign trade has become noticeable. This affected the balance of power between countries in the world market. The dominance of the United States was shaken. In turn, Germany's exports approached the US, and in some years even exceeded it. In addition to Germany, exports of other Western European countries also grew at a noticeable pace. In the 1980s, Japan made a significant breakthrough in international trade. By the end of the 1980s, Japan began to emerge as a leader in terms of competitiveness factors. In the same period, it was joined by the "new industrial countries" of Asia - Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan. However, by the mid-1990s, the United States was once again taking a leading position in the world in terms of competitiveness. They are closely followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, as well as Japan, which previously ranked first for six years (see Table A1, Appendix A).

So far, the developing countries have mainly remained suppliers of raw materials, foodstuffs, and relatively simple finished products to the world market. However, the growth rate of trade in raw materials lags markedly behind the overall growth rate of world trade. This lag is due to the development of substitutes for raw materials, their more economical use, and the deepening of their processing. Industrialized countries have almost completely captured the market for high technology products. At the same time, some developing countries, primarily the "newly industrialized countries", have managed to achieve significant changes in the restructuring of their exports, increasing the share of finished products, industrial products, incl. machines and equipment. Thus, the share of industrial exports of developing countries in the total world volume in the early 90s was 16.3%, but now this figure is already approaching 25%.

1.3 Main indicators of world trade

The foreign trade of all countries together forms international trade, which is based on the international division of labor. In theory, world trade is characterized by the following main indicators:

Foreign trade turnover of countries, which is the sum of exports and imports;

Import - import from abroad into the country of goods and services. Import material assets for their implementation in the domestic market - visible imports. Imports of component parts, semi-finished products, etc. constitute indirect imports. The costs in foreign currency for transshipment of goods, passengers, travel insurance, technology and other services, as well as transfers of companies and individuals abroad are included in the so-called. invisible imports.

Export - the export from the country of goods and services sold to a foreign buyer for sale on a foreign market, or for processing in another country. It also includes the transportation of goods in transit through a third country, the export of goods brought from other countries for sale in a third country, i.e. re-export.

In addition, international trade is characterized by the following indicators:

Growth rates in general;

Growth rates relative to production growth;

Growth rates of world trade relative to previous years.

The first of these indicators is determined by the ratio of the indicator of the volume of international trade of the year under review to the indicator of the base year. It can be used to characterize the percentage of changes in the volume of international trade over a certain period of time.

Attributing the rate of growth in international trade to the rate of growth in output is the starting point for identifying several characteristics that are important for describing the dynamics of international trade. Firstly, this indicator characterizes the productivity of production in the country, that is, the amount of goods and services that it can provide to the world market for a certain period of time. Secondly, it can be used to assess the overall level of development of the productive forces of states from the standpoint of international trade.

The last of these indicators is the assignment of the volume of international trade in the current year to the value of the base year, and the base year is always taken as the previous year.

II.Modern trends in the development of international trade

2.1 Forms of international trade and their features at the present stage

Wholesale. The main organizational form in the wholesale trade of countries with developed market economies is independent firms engaged in their own trade. But with the penetration of industrial firms into the wholesale trade, they created their own trading apparatus. Such are the wholesale branches of industrial firms in the USA: wholesale offices engaged in information services for various customers, and wholesale depots. Large German firms have their own supply departments, special bureaus or sales departments, wholesale warehouses. Industrial companies create subsidiaries to sell their products to firms and may have their own wholesale network.

An important parameter in the wholesale trade is the ratio of universal and specialized wholesalers. The trend towards specialization can be considered universal: in specialized firms, labor productivity is much higher than in universal ones. Specialization goes to the commodity and functional (i.e., restriction of the functions performed by the wholesaler) feature.

Commodity exchanges occupy a special place in wholesale trade. They look like trading houses where they sell various goods, both wholesale and retail. Basically, commodity exchanges have their own specialization. Public exchange trading is based on the principles of a double auction, when increasing bids from buyers meet decreasing bids from sellers. When the prices of the offers of the buyer and the seller coincide, a deal is concluded. Each concluded contract is publicly registered and communicated to the public through communication channels.

Price change is determined by the number of sellers willing to sell a product at a given price level and buyers willing to purchase a given product at that price level. A feature of modern exchange trading with high liquidity is that the difference between the prices of offers for sale and purchase is 0.1% of the price level and lower, while on stock exchanges this figure reaches 0.5% of the price of shares and bonds, and on the markets real estate - 10% or more.

There are almost no real goods exchanges left in developed countries. But in certain periods, in the absence of other forms of market organization, exchanges of real goods can play a significant role. The institution of the exchange has not lost its significance for international trade, in connection with the transformation from the exchange of a real commodity into a market for the rights to goods, or into the so-called futures exchange.

Stock exchanges. Trade securities conducted on international money markets, that is, on the stock exchanges of such large financial centers as New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt am Main, Tokyo, Zurich. Securities are traded during business hours on the stock exchange, or the so-called stock time. Only brokers (brokers) can act as sellers and buyers on the stock exchanges, who fulfill the orders of their clients, and for this they receive a certain percentage of the turnover. For trading in securities - stocks and bonds - there are so-called brokerage firms, or brokerage houses.

At present, trading in securities both on the domestic and foreign markets is of great importance for the development of world trade as a whole. The volume of turnover within this form of international trade is steadily increasing, although it is strongly influenced by foreign policy factors.

Trade fairs. One of best ways search for contact between producer and consumer are fairs and exhibitions. At thematic fairs, manufacturers exhibit their goods on the exhibition space, and the consumer has the opportunity to choose, buy or order the goods he needs right on the spot. The fair is an extensive exhibition where stands with goods and services are distributed according to the subject, industry, purpose, etc.

In France, numerous industry exhibitions are organized by organizing societies, which in most cases do not have their own fair territories belonging to the chamber of commerce and industry. In the fair business of Italy, the largest fair company is the Milan Fair, which has no competitors in terms of its annual turnover, which is 200-250 million euros. It mainly rents exhibition pavilions, but also acts as an organizer. At UK fairs, two large companies operating outside the country, Reed and Blenheim, stand out, the annual turnover of which ranges from 350 to 400 million euros. However, they also receive a significant part of their turnover outside the UK. According to official figures, about 30 percent of Italy's foreign trade is carried out through fairs, including 18 percent through Milan. It has 20 representative offices abroad. The share of foreign exhibitors and visitors averages 18 percent. Fairs in Germany as a whole occupy a leading position in Europe. Recently, the annual turnover, for example, of the Berlin Fair has exceeded 200 million euros and has a steady upward trend.

The role of fairs in the future will not decrease, but, on the contrary, will increase. With the development of the international division of labor, which will be further deepened by the free exchange of goods in Europe. With some exceptions, visitors and participants of the European fairs were not interfered with or restricted in any way.

2.2 The current situation and trends in the development of international trade

As foreign trade statistics show, over the past decade and a half, there has been a stable and constant growth in world foreign trade turnover, exceeding the growth rate of GDP, which convincingly indicates that all countries are increasingly drawn into the system of the international division of labor. World exports more than doubled, up from $2 trillion. dollars In 1980 to 5.5 trillion. dollars in 2010. This means an increase in exports by more than 70% in the 80s and more than 65% in 2009. import indicators are close to these values (see Table 2.1).

Table 2.1 Overall results of world trade billions of dollars

As can be seen from this table, the values of exports and imports, and, consequently, the indicators of trade turnover of the countries of the world from 2009 to 2012 almost doubled. But in view of the slowdown in the growth of world trade, observed since 2010, the author of this textbook makes a forecast for a decrease in this indicator in 2011.

Table 2.2 Forecast of changes in the volume of trade, % 2011/2012

Country or region	Change rate, %


European Union



Latin America

CEE and CIS

North America (USA and Canada)
European Union



Latin America

CEE and CIS

This table, in support of the foregoing about the decrease in the volume of trade, shows the forecasts of such a decrease in the indicator under consideration for various regions and countries of the world. At the same time, negative values show the percentage of the decrease in turnover, positive values show the percentage of increase. Characteristically, for most of these countries and regions, changes, in whatever direction they take, occur synchronously.

According to WTO exporters, world trade increased by 15% in 2011, which is one of the highest rates in recent years. And this is despite the fact that in early 2009, the growth of world trade began to decline slightly.

As for the growth rates of world trade, it can be stated that the stable outstripping growth rates of world trade are indicators of new qualitative features of international trade associated with an increase in the capacity of world markets. Also characteristic were the outpacing, rather high rates of expansion of trade in finished industrial products, and in them - machinery and equipment, even higher growth rates of trade in communications products, electrical and electronic equipment, computers, etc. The volume of trade in components, assemblies and assemblies supplied in the order of industrial cooperation within the framework of TNCs is expanding even faster. And another dynamic phenomenon is the accelerated growth of international trade in services.

All this could not but affect the radical shifts in both the commodity and the geographical structure of world exchange. At the same time, the share of the main groups of developed, developing and former socialist countries has remained practically unchanged over the past 15-20 years. It was 70-76%, 20-24% and 6-8%, respectively. Now this ratio is beginning to change due to the entry of several post-socialist countries into the European Union, which was the reason for their the economic growth and the resulting changes.

In the commodity exchange of world foreign trade, there is an obvious upward trend in the share of finished goods, which account for more than 70% of world trade. The remaining share is divided approximately equally between agricultural exports and extractive industries. For comparison, we can say that in the middle of the last century, raw materials accounted for about two thirds, and only one third - for finished products.

Services now account for almost a quarter of international trade. That is why various studies now pay special attention to the growth of world trade in services. Changes in world exports of services in recent years are shown in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3 World export of services, billion dollars

Type of service					2012(forecast)
Transport, incl.
Passenger

Other modes of transport
Trips
Government Services
Other types of services

Thus, the total volume of services is about 25% of total world exports. When it comes to the distribution of the cost of services according to certain types, the most important in world trade in services are tourism and transport. In addition, there is another trend: the export of labor resources to developed countries from developing countries, and especially post-socialist ones, is growing.

2.3 Features of the structure of world trade at the present stage

Significant shifts have taken place in the structure of world trade: the share of finished goods has increased and the specific gravity food and raw materials other than fuel. If in the 1950s the share of raw materials and fuels was approximately equal to the share of finished goods, then by the beginning of the new century, the share of raw materials, food and fuel had fallen to 30%, of which 25% were fuel and 5% were raw materials. At the same time, the share of finished products increased from 50% to 70%. Quantitative characteristics of the structure of world trade are presented in Table 2.4.

Table 2.4 Structure of world merchandise trade

Products	Total volume, billion USD Share, %


Food

Extractive industry:
Minerals

Non-ferrous metals
Industrial:
iron and steel
Products of the chemical industry
Other types of lower processing products:
Mechanical engineering and transport equipment
Automotive products
Office and telecommunications
Other types of transport equipment
Textile industry products

Other types of consumer goods

The decrease in the share of raw materials in international trade is due to three main reasons: the expansion of the production of synthetic materials based on the development of the chemical industry, the greater use of domestic raw materials and the transition to resource-saving technologies. At the same time, trade in mineral fuels - oil, natural gas - has sharply increased as a result of the development of the chemical industry and changes in the structure of the fuel and energy balance.

Whereas earlier commodities and end products dominated international trade, in modern conditions the exchange of semi-finished products, intermediate forms of products, and individual parts of the final product acquires importance. The emergence of a powerful production apparatus of TNCs abroad, the establishment of stable cooperative ties between individual international links in technological chains have led to the fact that already about 1/3 of all imports and up to 3/5 of trade in machinery and equipment fall on intermediate products.

The reason for this phenomenon can be called the growth of specialization in the conditions of the scientific and technological revolution. The monopolies strive to reduce the unit costs of production by increasing the minimum and optimal sizes of enterprises, achieving savings on large-scale serial production with extensive use of exports, since the volume of the domestic market does not allow a significant increase in production. According to research, doubling serial production, costs per unit of production are reduced by 8-10%.

In the export of industrialized countries, the share of high-tech products is growing, which in the USA, Switzerland and Japan is over 20%, Germany and France - about 15%. The trade in microelectronic products is growing especially fast. In this position, China has recently begun to lead, where the annual increase in exports of such products in 2012 amounted to 29.7%. An important role in trade is acquired by the export and import of services, the so-called. "invisible exports". If in 2010 the volume of world exports of services amounted to 80 billion dollars, then in 2011-2012. - about 1.5 trillion. dollars, i.e. more than 20% of the cost of goods sold. Services account for over 40% of US exports and 46% of UK exports.

With a decrease in the export of some traditional services (for example, transport), the export of services related to the application of scientific and technological achievements, with the introduction of computer technology, consulting, trade, intermediary and technical services, know-how, communication services, banking services is rapidly developing. , insurance agencies, etc.

An analysis of the directions of trade reveals that the mutual trade of industrialized countries, which account for almost 60% of world exports, is growing at a faster pace. In turn, developing countries export about 70% of their export goods to industrial countries (of which China - 34%). As for the participants in trade, the trend of ousting medium and small exporters and importers from the world market is increasing. Foreign trade relations are concentrated within the framework of monopoly associations. Already in the 1980s, American exports related to the activities of TNCs accounted for 84% of all US exports and 60% of imports. A similar pattern is observed in other countries.

A characteristic feature of recent years is the barterization of foreign economic transactions - the growth of counter trade. Such "counter" transactions account for 20% to 30% of all world trade.

Along with legitimate trade practices, criminal forms of trade, smuggling, trade in goods with falsified trademarks (clothes, shoes, household electrical appliances) are gaining momentum, especially in a number of countries in Southeast Asia. The volume of such trade reaches 60 billion dollars a year.

In general, it can be noted that the very nature of the world market has changed over the past time. It no longer receives surpluses of domestic production, but pre-agreed deliveries to a specific buyer.

2.4 Main problems of international trade

international trade turnover export

International trade is a process of buying and selling between buyers, sellers and intermediaries in different countries. It is associated with many practical and financial difficulties for the firms involved in it. Along with the usual problems of trade and commerce that arise in any type of business, there are additional problems in international trade:

Time and distance - credit risk and contract execution time;

Changes in foreign exchange rates - currency risk;

Differences in laws and regulations;

Government regulations - exchange controls, as well as sovereign risk and country risk.

The main effect of exchange rate fluctuations on international trade is the risk for the exporter or importer that the value of the foreign currency they use in their trade will differ from what they hoped and expected.

Exposure to foreign currencies and currency risk can bring additional profits, not just losses. Businesses are looking for ways to minimize or eliminate exposure to foreign exchange in order to plan business operations and forecast profits more reliably. Importers seek to minimize exposure to foreign exchange for the same reasons. But, as with an exporter, importers prefer to know exactly how much they will have to pay in their currency. There are various ways to eliminate exposure to foreign currency, carried out with the help of banks.

In international trade, the exporter must invoice the buyer in a foreign currency (for example, in the currency of the buyer's country), or the Buyer must pay for the goods in a foreign currency (for example, in the currency of the exporter's country). It is also possible for the payment currency to be the currency of a third country: for example, a firm in Ukraine may sell goods to a buyer in Australia and ask for payment in US dollars. Therefore, one of the problems of the importer is the need to obtain foreign currency to make a payment, and the exporter may have the problem of exchanging the received foreign currency for the currency of his country.

The cost of imported goods to the buyer or the cost of exported goods to the seller may be increased or decreased due to changes in exchange rates. Therefore, a firm that makes payments or earns income in foreign currencies has potential "currency risk" due to adverse changes in exchange rates.

The time factor is that it can take a very long time between submitting an application to a foreign supplier and receiving the goods. When the goods are delivered to long distance, the main part of the delay between the application and delivery, as a rule, is due to the length of the transportation period. Delays may also be caused by the need to prepare appropriate documentation for shipment. Time and distance create credit risk for exporters. The exporter usually has to provide credit for payment over a longer period of time than he would need if he were selling the goods domestically. In the presence of a large number of foreign debtors, it becomes necessary to obtain additional working capital for their funding.

Lack of knowledge and understanding of the rules, customs and laws of the country of the importer or exporter leads to uncertainty or distrust between buyer and seller, which can only be overcome after a long and successful business relationship. One way to overcome the difficulties associated with differences in customs and characters is to standardize the procedures for international trade.

Sovereign risk occurs when the sovereign government of a country:

Receives a loan from a foreign lender;

Becomes a debtor of a foreign supplier;

Issues a loan guarantee on behalf of a third party in their home country, but then either the government or the third party refuses to repay the loan and claims immunity from prosecution. The creditor or exporter will be powerless to collect the debt, since he will be prohibited from taking his claim through the courts.

Country risk arises when the buyer does everything in his power to pay off his debt to the exporter, but when he needs to receive this foreign currency, the authorities of his country either refuse to provide him with this currency or are unable to do so.

Government regulations regarding imports and exports can be a major barrier to international trade. There are the following rules and restrictions:

Regulations on currency regulation;

Export licensing;

Import licensing;

Trade embargo;

Import quotas;

Government regulations relating to legal safety standards, and quality or specifications for all goods sold domestically in this country, legal standards for health and hygiene, especially for foodstuffs; patents and trademarks; packaging of goods and the amount of information given on the packages;

The documentation required for customs clearance of imported goods can be very voluminous. Delays in customs clearing can be a significant factor in the overall problem of delays in international trade;

Import duties or other taxes to pay for imported goods.

Foreign exchange regulations (i.e., a system for controlling the inflow and outflow of foreign currency into and out of a country) usually refer to extraordinary measures taken by a country's government to protect its currency, although the details of these regulations are subject to change.

Thus, at the moment, world trade still encounters many obstacles in its path. Although at the same time, in view of the general trend towards world integration, all kinds of trade and economic associations of states are being created to facilitate the implementation of international trade.

Wconclusion

The traditional and most developed form of international economic relations is foreign trade. Trade accounts for about 80 per cent of the current volume of international economic relations. Not a single country in the world has yet managed to create an economy without participating in international trade. In modern conditions, the active participation of the country in world trade is associated with significant advantages: it allows more efficient use of the resources available in the country, join the world achievements of science and technology, carry out structural restructuring of its economy in a shorter time, and also more fully and diversely meet the needs population.

International trade is a consequence of the international division of labor and international specialization. This secures serious development prospects for it. In addition, world trade contributes to the deepening of the internationalization of production, international economic integration and globalization. Based on this, the study of its current position and consideration of the prospects for its development is necessary to build a foreign economic strategy both at the macro and micro levels. This means that not only states should have their own program of behavior in the international market of goods and services, but also the enterprises and organizations operating in this market should have strategic concepts of functioning and behavior in changing conditions.

Foreign trade, especially in countries with open economies, where the share of products sold on world markets is high, has a huge impact on the overall state of the economy. Deterioration of the conditions for the export of goods (price reduction, decrease in demand for them) or import (its rise in price) can lead to a drop in national production, a deterioration in the state of the balance of payments, and a depreciation of the national currency. The decline in the volume of foreign trade is especially hard on the situation of countries with a one-sided structure of exports and creates instability in their economies.

The dynamics of the development of international trade is characterized by a rapid growth in the volume of trade in the last decade. This is due to both the growth of the economic and scientific and technical potential of most states. At the same time, it is important to note the trend according to which the share of trade in finished products is growing in relation to the share of trade in raw materials and materials. In particular, the volume of trade in semi-finished products is also increasing. In the growing variety of forms of international trade, intracorporate trade of TNCs begins to occupy a significant position. This is primarily due to the strengthening of the position on international level the TNCs themselves, as well as the natural favorable position of related, but located in different countries, divisions.

Structural shifts taking place in the economies of countries under the influence of scientific and technological revolution, specialization and cooperation of industrial production contribute to the intensification of international trade. The volume of international trade, driving all international commodity flows, is growing faster production. They are also growing relative to the previous ones, and at a faster pace. In addition, the structure of trade is also changing. Now trade in finished products prevails over trade in raw materials and materials. The geographical structure of international trade is also changing: the main trade turnover of developing countries is directed to developed countries, they, in turn, trade mostly among themselves, while reorienting everything in more to the service market, develop the sphere of international tourism. In addition, developing and post-socialist countries are expanding their labor exports.

A significant role in the regulation of foreign trade is played by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), transformed on January 1, 2009 into the World Trade Organization, as well as various commodity agreements and intergovernmental trade agreements concluded on a bilateral basis.

Thus, summing up, we can say that in dynamics there is a rapid growth in the volume of international trade, and the share of finished products in it is steadily growing. The structure of international trade, both geographical and commodity, is constantly changing, representing at the moment a system of two elements: developed countries that trade mainly among themselves, and developing countries that supply their products to developed countries.

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PAnnex A

Table A.1 Quantitative characteristics of foreign trade of some countries of the world (including Ukraine) in 2010

	Volume of foreign trade, mln. $	Place in terms of foreign trade volume	Export, million $	Import, million $

Germany


Great Britain


Netherlands



The Republic of Korea
Singapore




Malaysia

PAppendix B

Table B.1 GATT negotiations

Location of opening and holding
Geneva, Switzerland)		Decrease in customs tariffs
Annecy (France)
Torquay (England)

	1960-1961 (Dillon Round)
	1964-1967 (Kennedy Round)	Tariff reduction, development of an anti-dumping code
Tokyo (Japan), Geneva	1973-1979 (Tokyo Round)	Tariff reduction, development of a code expanding and strengthening GATT compensation in the field of non-tariff barriers
Punta del Este (Uruguay)	1986-1994 (Uruguay Round)	Reduction of customs barriers, improvement of the GATT mechanism, agreement on the creation of the WTO. Development of an agreement on trade in services (GATS)