The research focused on:

• Providing a conceptual understanding of trade theory and trade policy and analyzing the changing trade policy climate in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD),
• Offering a synopsis of the European Union’s ‘Global Europe’ paper and what this meant for the European Commission’s commercial diplomacy.
• Providing an overview of recent trade and industrial policy developments in China, Brazil and India and the implication for South Africa in the light of possibilities for concluding preferential trade agreements with these countries.
• Highlighting insights into developments in the multilateral trade negotiations, paying particular attention to various scenarios that the Doho Round may generate for trade policy making for countries such as South Africa
• Based on this research a number of recommendations were made to the DTIs Trade Reference Group.

Website: www.thedti.gov.za