Vietnam participates in the development of the WTO's annual trade monitoring report.

The report shows that, in the period between mid-October 2024 and mid-October 2025, the total value of global goods imports affected by new tariffs and other import measures reached 2,640 billion USD (equivalent to 11.1% of total global imports), an increase of more than 4 times compared to the same period last year (611 billion USD), marking the highest level in more than 15 years. On the export side, the total value of trade affected was about 2,966 billion USD (an increase of more than 3 times compared to 888 billion USD in the previous report).

In parallel with the trend of increasing protectionism, WTO members and observers have also stepped up new trade facilitation measures for goods. During the review period, 331 measures were issued with an estimated trade value of 2,090 billion USD (about 1.5 times higher than the 1,441 billion USD in the previous report).

Speaking at a meeting of the WTO Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB), Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that the sharp increase in tariff measures reflects a trend of increased protectionism since the beginning of the year. Nearly 20% of world imports are now affected by tariffs and other similar measures introduced since 2009 – compared to 12.6% just a year ago. However, she also noted members’ efforts to promote dialogue rather than retaliation to facilitate trade, demonstrating their commitment to keeping cross-border trade flowing. The Director-General called on WTO Members to use the current situation to advance long-delayed WTO reforms, address some of the underlying concerns related to recent unilateral measures, and reposition the WTO to better capture new trade opportunities.

Looking ahead, WTO economists forecast world merchandise trade growth of 2.4% in 2025 and 0.5% in 2026. Trade growth is expected to be larger than expected in the first half of 2025 due to tariff-evading imports, increased demand for AI-related products, and continued trade growth among most WTO members, especially developing economies.

In the trade remedies area, the review period recorded an average of 32.3 cases per month – lower than the 2024 peak of 37.3 cases per month. While these investigations do not necessarily lead to measures being applied, higher initiations generally signal the likelihood of increased measures being applied. The average number of trade remedy terminations was 11.4 cases per month – one of the lowest since 2012, suggesting that many trade remedies remain in place. Trade remedies – particularly anti-dumping measures – remain an important trade policy tool for many WTO members, accounting for 46.5% of all goods trade measures recorded in the report.

In services, WTO members introduced 124 new measures, mainly aimed at facilitating trade or improving the regulatory framework. More than half of these measures covered almost all sectors, with 50% relating to the supply of services through commercial presence (mode 3) and around 25% relating to the movement of professionals (mode 4). In addition, 20% of the new measures targeted the Internet and other network services.

In addition, the WTO notes a number of general economic support measures related to key areas such as the environment, energy and agriculture . The report notes the potential for a shift towards non-financial interventions and the pursuit of broader strategic policy objectives.
The report also said that WTO members continued to raise trade concerns in WTO committees and bodies during the review period. WTO committees remain an important forum for addressing trade-related issues.

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