Time for vigilance against measures hamper trade WTO

SHANGHAI: Global trade is likely to remain sluggish going into the third quarter and vigilance is needed against any measures that limit trade and to counter “very damaging” anti-trade rhetoric, the head of the World Trade Organization said on Friday.”It is time for vigilance against measures that hamper and restrict trade and very damaging anti-trade rhetoric,” WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo told a news conference on the eve of a meeting in Shanghai of G20 trade ministers.Azevedo said the WTO expected 2016 to be the fifth consecutive year of less than 3 percent growth in global trade, and trade would remain sluggish going into the third quarter of the year.