Question

Do the rules of international trade require that all nations impose the same consumer safety standards?

Short answer

Not necessarily.

Step-by-step solution

Step1. Introduction

Globally, through WTO, after deliberations and discussions, consumer safety standards on products are set in order to ensure the quality and safety of the products.

Step2. Explanation

The WTO allows nations to impose their own safety standards on the imports, but the basis of the differing standards must be backed by scientific logic and data. This is done to ensure that the products of certain countries are not specifically discriminated against to discourage the imports from those countries. A country hence can neither have different safety standards for different countries, nor can it have varying standards for domestic production and imported products.