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1 1 (January 21, 2022)

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International Trade in Services

Updated January 21, 2022

International trade in services refers to a wide and growing
range of economic activities. These activities include
transport, tourism, financial services, use of intellectual
property, telecommunications and information services,
government services, and other professional services, from
accounting to legal services. In 2020, services accounted for
82% of total U.S. private employment and 69% of U.S.
gross domestic product (GDP). Trade in services, including
as inputs to other traded products, can have a broad impact
across the U.S. economy. The United States is the world's
leading services exporter and importer. The United States
continues to negotiate trade agreements both bilaterally and
multilaterally in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to
lower behind the border barriers that limit U.S. services
exports.
Role of Services in the Economy
Rapid advances in information and communications
technology (ICT) and the related growth of global value
chains (GVCs) are making an expanding range of services
tradable across national borders. Many services require
direct contact between the supplier and consumer and,
therefore, service providers often face a need to establish a
presence in the country of the consumer through foreign
direct investment (FDI). To account for the variety in how
services are traded, WTO members defined a system for
classifying four modes of delivery for services, based on the
location of the service supplier and the consumer, taking
into account their respective nationalities:
* Mode 1: Cross-border Supply (consumer and service
supplier located in their respective countries)
* Mode 2: Consumption Abroad (consumer travels)
* Mode 3: Commercial Presence in another country (FDI)
* Mode 4: Presence of Natural Persons (service supplier
travels)
Measurements of trade in services are captured in two types
of data: cross-border trade (sold via Modes 1, 2, and 4) and
services sold by a local affiliate of a foreign company to a
consumer of the local economy (Mode 3). The United
States has continually realized surpluses in cross-border
services trade, which have partially offset large deficits in
goods trade (Figure 1). U.S. foreign affiliate trade
generates greater revenue than cross-border trade and most
of the revenue is from Europe (see Figure 2).
Digital Economy and Services Trade
Cross-border services are often provided online or on the
telephone. These services are considered ICT-enabled or
potentially ICT-enabled (PICTE) services, and include an
array of services, such as insurance and financial services;
customer service; and business services like research,
consulting, and engineering. ICT-enabled and PICTE
services accounted for 86% of U.S. cross-border services

exports (and 77% of imports) in 2020, according to the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
GVCs divide production processes into discrete stages
located around the world and their growth has heightened
the interdependence and interconnectedness of the global
economy. These networks have also expanded and
redefined the role that services play in international trade.
Traditional data may understate the role of U.S. services
because trade statistics measure goods based on the value of
the final product, and not on a value-added basis. Therefore,
conventional data does not attribute any portion of the
traded value of manufactured and agricultural products to
services inputs, such as research and development, design,
transportation costs, marketing, and finance.
Figure 1. U.S. Net Trade, 2000-2020
$500b
Services $245.3b
Sob     1
2000    2004   2008    2012    2016   2020
Total Trade -$76.lb
-$500b
-$1OOb                             Goods -$922.Ob
Source: CRS, based on data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of Economic Analysis. December 2021 release.
Figure 2. U.S. Services Supplied Through Majority-
Owned Foreign Affiliates, 201 9
2019 Total:
$1,765.3 billion
-EU (with U.K.J
Asia and Pacific
24%       Latin Ameica and
0 rther West. Hem.
- C7nda7% Rest of Europe
7%  - Canada         2% Middle East
1% Africa
Source: CRS, based on data from U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of Economic Analysis. October 2021 release.
I pact of COVID-19 Pandemic
When the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic hit, the top U.S. cross-border services export,
travel, declined sharply as countries implemented
lockdowns and other restrictions. The WTO noted that
global trade in services was down 9% year-over-year in Q1
2021, driven by declines in travel and transport. In contrast,
ICT-enabled and PICTE services, such as online retail and
telecommunications, saw gains as consumers stayed home.

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