IBSAC (India, Brazil, South Africa, China): A Potential Developing Country Coalition in WTO Negotiations

This paper argues that IBSA( India, Brazil, South Africa) as opposed to IBSAC (with China) is a far more coherent group when it comes to WTO negotiations as its interests coincide given the agenda that seeks to free trade asymmetrically with the developed countries having to concede more on market access than developing countries and LDCs will have to. The paper begins with the trade profiles of the IBSAC countries followed by a discussion on the evolution of a developing country alliance at the WTO negotiations. The genesis of IBSAC and the phenomenon of growing regionalism are analysed. The possible emergence of IBSAC as a negotiating coalition at the WTO forums is discussed next. The chapter is followed by an analysis on the potential role of a grouping called IBSAC-plus in WTO negotiations.