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      <title>WTO MEMBERSHIP? by Dave Douglas</title>
      <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96</link>
      <description>Your post should include your.. 1. answer (Yes or no) to increased trade benefiting the country (Can be mixed for stakeholders). 2. REasons for yor answer with at LEAST two data points from CIA world factbook.  </description>
      <language>en-us</language>
      <pubDate>2025-10-08 23:45:33 UTC</pubDate>
      <lastBuildDate>2025-10-09 01:41:01 UTC</lastBuildDate>
      <webMaster>hello@padlet.com</webMaster>
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         <title>Bhutan and Saudi Arabia (Yuu) </title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624448852</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Bhutan: It would definitely help Bhutan's economy if there is increased trade. One of the reasons is due to the fact that most of its exports is hydropower energy trade, therefore if there is more trade between Bhutan and other countries it would diversify the country's income and make the economy more sustainable. On top of that, per Bhutans stance, they believe that trade is integral to peace in the region thus increased trade would be a positive geopolitically speaking. </p><p>Saudi Arabia: For Saudi Arabia trades also would benefit them. As seen by their project 2030, they are also trying to diversify their exports and increased exports attract foreign investment. Thus trade would benefit them. On top of that, some goods are cheaper to produce abroad thus trading would decrease domestic costs thus lowering inflation. </p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:06:11 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624448852</guid>
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         <title>Kei F (Saudi Arabia &amp; Bhutan)</title>
         <author>kei84</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624450659</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><strong>Saudi Arabia</strong></p><p>For Saudi Arabia, trades could benefit them to a certain extent. The nation has a stable inflation rate, stable unemployment rate, and had a good GDP growth too. However, in the 2024 databook, their GDP growth rate was only 1.8%, which means that the economy. could be slowing down. Comparing their exports n imports, they always make profit from it (in the billions units). However, comparing the 2022 2023 and 2024 statistics, they had the lowest profit margin in 2024 (even with the oil prices increasing globally). Therefore, more trades would benefit them, but is not certainly necessary for them.</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Bhutan</strong></p><p>However, for the case of Bhutan, trades would benefit them significantly. Their GDP growth rate and inflation rate is stable, both at around 4-5%, however the Real GDP is overall low as a nation. In addition, they have a negative trade on their exports vs. imports, where in 2024, their exports were $944.391 million and imports at $1.513 billion. For 2022 and 2023 as well, they even had a worse deficit, where the values of imports were doubled the value of exports. Therefore, trades would definitely and immensely benefit the country for their economy. </p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:07:46 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624450659</guid>
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         <title>Arnav - South Korea (Bhutan in comments)</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624455580</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>I believe that an increase in trade would  benefit the South Korean economy. This is because the current numbers for inflation is 2.3 and continues to go lower since 2022. Because of this steady rate of inflation, an increase in trade would drive up demand-side inflation which would stimulate an increase in the economies capacity and GDP, which would increase the overall real infocme of the economy. Because of this, the relatively medium gini coefficient (32.9) would go towards more of an equal level of equality in the economy, which would benefit South Korea as a whole.</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:12:33 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624455580</guid>
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         <title>South Korea &amp; Saudi Arabia (Harry)</title>
         <author>harry92</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624457814</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><strong>South Korea</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>Increased trade is likely to benefit South Korea across households, firms, and the government because the country is already a highly export-oriented economy with strong global recognition. Firms in sectors like semiconductors, automobiles, and shipbuilding would gain from larger markets, strengthening their competitiveness. Households would benefit through higher wages in export industries, lower consumer prices from imports, and more job opportunities in manufacturing and services. For the government, expanding trade supports economic growth, increases tax revenues, and enhances South Korea’s geopolitical influence, particularly through trade agreements and global partnerships.</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Saudi Arabia</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>For Saudi Arabia, increased trade could bring conditional benefits depending on the market. Firms in non-oil sectors could access new export markets and advanced technologies, reducing oil dependency. Households could see improved access to goods, lower prices, and eventually more job opportunities if domestic industries expand beyond oil. The government would benefit from higher export revenues and foreign investment flows, especially if non-oil trade grows. However, because trade is still dominated by petroleum exports, the positive effects on employment and income distribution may be limited in the short term, with much of the profit going to the capital owners.&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:14:45 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624457814</guid>
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         <title>Dongwoo</title>
         <author>dongwoo95</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624458576</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Saudi Arabia</p><p>Yes, more trades will surely help many sectors in the country, as oil exports provide them great inflow of money that helps them with economic growth. This can also be seen from the GDP growth of the country, where the biggest GDP growth was achieved when there were the most exports from the country (2022). </p><p>Bhutan</p><p>Yes, increased trade will also help Bhutan as exports of energy will surely lead to economic growth of the country, and Bhutan also needs different imports to benefit their country. The GDP growth is rather stable while the export amount fluctuates, which could be a factor that shows that trade of Bhutan is not causing any harm to their economy, but rather benefits them more from diversified choices and cheaper goods for households and firms. </p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:15:25 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624458576</guid>
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         <title>Saudi Arabia</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624458946</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>The growth in trade in Saudi Arabia's economy relies on oil and is expected to lead to a 1.8% increase in GDP for 2024. With low inflation at 1.7% and unemployment at 3.9%, this could help families by creating jobs and making imports cheaper. Companies might benefit from selling different products instead of just oil, and the government could earn more money by relying less on oil. There are likely to be positive outcomes (70-85%) thanks to the Vision 2030 reforms, but there are still some short-term challenges like competition and political issues that could arise.</p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:15:46 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624458946</guid>
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         <title>Yuhtaro: Bhutan and Saudi Arabia</title>
         <author>yuhtaro80</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459276</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Bhutan</p><p>Bhutan would stand to benefit much more through increased trade. Although its inflation and GDP growth rates are comparatively low at around 5%, the real level of GDP in the country is very low overall. In addition, Bhutan also suffers from a long-term trade deficit, with imports always outweighing exports. For instance, during 2024, imports totaled $1.513 billion, while exports had been only $944.39 million. The deficit was even higher in 2022 and 2023 when imports were nearly twice exports in terms of value. Putting this in mind, enhancement of trade and export opportunities would be a key consideration for making the Bhutan economy stronger and improving its balance of payments.</p><p><br/></p><p>Saudi Arabia</p><p>Trade may be beneficial for Saudi Arabia to a certain extent. The country currently has stable unemployment and inflation figures as well as healthy GDP growth. However, according to the databook, its GDP growth has slowed to 1.8%, which would show decelerating economic activity. In terms of trade performance, Saudi Arabia consistently runs a surplus, in which its export revenues exceed import payments by billions each year. However, comparing data from 2022, 2023, and 2024, the 2024 trade surplus was the lowest even with increasing global oil prices. Accordingly, while growth may be aided by rising trade, it is not a short-term need for the Saudi economy.</p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:16:04 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459276</guid>
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         <title>Yuya</title>
         <author>yuya88</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459511</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Trade could certainly benefit Bhutan by focusing on sectors they have control over; it imports goods such as refined</p><p>petroleum, gold, and plastics. This efficient use of resources allows them to be productive and sustainable. Through trade, citizens enjoy access to imported technologies. This improves living standards and supports modern industries such as tourism. Bhutan's partnerships with certain countries, such as India and Italy, enable it to adopt a Gross National Happiness philosophy. For these reasons, it is safe to assume that the global trade would certainly benefit Bhutan and its economy. </p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:16:17 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459511</guid>
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      <item>
         <title>tristan bhutan and saudi arabia</title>
         <author>tristan952</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459610</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>for bhutan i think that trades would benefit them significantly. Even though their gdp growth rate is stable, and its inflation rates are low, their gdp as a whole is on the lower side, and their import cost are higher than their export revenue which is not good. </p><p>for saudi arabia, trades would have less of a benefit than bhutan because, their trades are already up, and they are consistency making profit from exports. However their GDP growth is low, so trades could help bring it up. but saudia arabia dont really need a boost .</p>]]></description>
         <enclosure url="" />
         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:16:22 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459610</guid>
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         <title>Bhutan &amp; Saudi Arabia (Luka)</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459628</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>1) For Butan, 92% of its trade is with India. This is dangerous because if anything bad happens to the India-Bhutan relationship, there will be a significant economic impact. Also, Buthan could be taken advantage by india because Bhutan has too mcuh to lose if something goes wrong. By increasing internatinoal trade, butan would be able to diversify its trades, approaching stable economy.</p><p><br/></p><p>2)Saudi Arabia. </p><p>Saudi Arabia's biggest export is oil and oil is used all around the world. By increasing internatinoal trade, there would be more customers therefore economic growth</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:16:23 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624459628</guid>
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         <title>Mj Sohn - South Korea and Saudi Arabia</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624460227</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><strong>South Korea</strong></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>yes</strong>, increased trade is a huge benefit. The numbers really back that up. They're running a trade surplus of over $80 billion, which means trade is a massive net positive for the country's wallet. Also, the way they import crude oil and then export refined petroleum is a brilliant value-add strategy that brings in a ton of money. It makes their whole economy stronger.</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Saudi Arabia</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>For Saudi Arabia, it's a bit more of a <strong>mixed</strong> bag. On one hand, their insane oil production—over 11 million barrels a day—is the lifeblood of their economy and shows how vital trade is for them. On the other hand, you still see a youth unemployment rate of nearly 14%, which suggests that all that oil money isn't automatically creating enough jobs for everyone. So while trade is essential for the country's income, the benefits haven't fully trickled down to all parts of society yet.</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:16:56 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624460227</guid>
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         <title>South Korea and Saudi Arabia -George Adams</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624462950</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking at the overview of South Korea down below, it demonstrates how this country already has a stable GDP and inflation rates. South Korea’s real GDP grew by 4.3% in 2021, 2.6% in 2022, and 1.4% in 2023, reaching $2.607 trillion in 2023. Per capita GDP has steadily increased from $48,400 in 2021 to $50,400 in 2023.</p><p>Inflation has declined steadily, from 5.1% in 2022 to 3.6% in 2023, and 2.3% in 2024, showing good price stability. The unemployment rate is low, remaining between 2.7% and 2.9% from 2022 to 2024.</p><p>This country already is a highly open economy to begin with. With its steady GDP growth, low unemployment, manageable inflation, and a small trade surplus (exports exceed imports by a few billion dollars), it suggests that further trade expansion would likely bring clear benefits to households, as goods would be cheaper and the job market would increase. Hence the unemployment rate will drop.</p><p>Firms, on the other hand, can grow larger in their markets and become more efficient, while governments can grow stronger international ties and increase their revenue with more revenue streams via taxation.</p><p>overview of SK,</p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>saudi arabia</strong></p><p>This country is already strong in terms of exportation, with strong global recognition. In 2024, Saudi Arabia’s real GDP (PPP) was $2.213 trillion, ranking 17th globally, with growth of 1.8% in 2024, 0.5% in 2023, and a strong 12% in 2022. Per capita GDP is $62,700 (2024). Inflation is low and stable at 1.7% in 2024, 2.3% in 2023, and 2.5% in 2022.</p><p>Saudi Arabia is renowned for its goods, especially crude petroleum, refined petroleum, plastics, alcohols, and ships, exporting $360.9 billion in 2024. Its main trading partners are China (21%), India (12%), Japan (12%), the USA (6%), and the UAE (4%). Imports were $317.0 billion in 2024, showing a trade surplus. Unemployment has fallen steadily, from 5.6% in 2022 to 4.1% in 2023, and 3.9% in 2024, though youth unemployment remains at 13.8%.</p><p>Through trade, Saudi Arabia can increase growth and maintain a strong stance against competition. Households would have similar advantages as those in South Korea — cheaper goods and increased job opportunities. Firms would benefit from expanding their reach in global markets, while governments could strengthen international ties and increase revenue through diversified taxation streams.</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:19:27 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624462950</guid>
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         <title>South Korea- Kyungju Kim</title>
         <author>kyungju87</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624463044</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>South Korea</p><p>Increasing trade for agricultural products for consumption would benefit South Korea's households because majority of South Korea's economy has moved past operating in the primary sector of the economy. It says agriculture accounts for only "1.6% (2023 est.)" of South Korea's GDP, which implies South Korea mainly imports agricultural products. Therefore, the labour is not fit to produce these types of goods, so it would be beneficial to increase trade and outsource these products from somewhere else to lower the price even further. Increasing trade would also be beneficial for South Korea's firms as majority of them are involved in the tertiary sector, "58.4% (2023 est.)" This can benefit the service providers as they can specialize in producing high quality technology goods.</p><p><br/></p><p>Saudi Arabia</p><p><strong>1. Households</strong></p><p>Increased trade would likely <strong>benefit households</strong> through <strong>lower prices</strong>, <strong>greater variety of goods</strong>, and <strong>improved living standards</strong>. As Saudi Arabia imports more manufactured and consumer goods, competition reduces domestic prices and increases quality.</p><p>2. Government</p><p>Trade expansion increases <strong>export revenues</strong> and <strong>tax collection</strong> strengthening the budget of the government. It also helps shift the economy away from <strong>oil dependency</strong> by promoting <strong>non-oil exports</strong> as it says Saudi is a "oil-based Middle Eastern economy"</p><p><br/></p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:19:34 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624463044</guid>
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         <title>Bhutan &amp; Saudi Arabia</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624466740</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p><strong>Bhutan</strong> Yes, increased trade benefits the country at different levels. Bhutan imports significantly more than it exports. For example, imports were about USD 1.754 billion in 2023, while exports were about USD 815 million. Firstly, exports include high-value items like hydropower (electricity exports), iron alloys, dolomite, gypsum, and cement. These allow Bhutan to earn foreign exchange and increase GDP. Moreover, with a strong connection with India, Bhutan can leverage proximity and existing infrastructure to reduce transport costs, negotiate favorable trade terms. According to the CIA, ever since Bhutan exports electricity to India, it has been a consistent source of revenue. The inflation rate has been rather stable as well. As for <strong>Saudi Arabia</strong>, they have diverse trading partners. 'China ~19%, India ~13%, Japan ~10%, South Korea ~10%, US ~7% in 2022). Moreover, there is a strong export capacity especially in petroleum-related commodities. According to the statistics released by the CIA in 2023, exports were about USD 370.974 billion. There are imports in cars and machinery accordingly. This improves efficiency. </p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:23:25 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624466740</guid>
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         <title>Caio</title>
         <author></author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624469838</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>In Bhutan, there seems to be a positive correlation between export revenue and GDP growth. In addition, as export revenue goes up, inflation rate and unemployment rates goes down. Low unemployment rates will benefit households, and firms will have more workers. With more people with disposable income, spending and therefore tax revenue will go up for governments. Based on this, trade is likely to benefit the many stakeholders of Bhutan.</p><p><br/></p><p>Saudi Arabia has a surprising 12% GDP growth in 2022, which can be attributed to the export revenue of 2022 of $445 billion, which is high compared to other years that have around $360 billion. Saudi Arabia is one of the highest oil producers, but since the supply of oil is limited and export revenue is going down, Saudi Arabia could use some diversification in their trade. However, due to Saudi Arabia mainly getting export revenues from the oil which they specialize in, increased trade may not benefit them due to a potential struggle to diversify for export revenue at the same level of oil.</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:26:41 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624469838</guid>
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         <title>Lucas</title>
         <author>lucas92_1</author>
         <link>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624483585</link>
         <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking at South Korea and Bhutan's inflation rate closely we see that they stand at a low inflation rate (no more than 3%), if trade were increased in both these countries it can result to lower domestic prices of goods and more competition, however due to its low inflation rate, this increased trade can cause deflation and weaken the currency. Mostly effecting firms and households, where firms are worse off due to the low profits and households are better off due to lower prices of goods.</p>]]></description>
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         <pubDate>2025-10-09 01:41:00 UTC</pubDate>
         <guid>https://padlet.com/stmarysinternationalschool/66w9rnbb1f5p2i96/wish/3624483585</guid>
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