Summary: GAO is required to report on the extent to which International Monetary Fund (IMF) borrowers restrict free and open trade and whether their export policies could harm or result in unfair trade practices against U.S. companies. The 98 current IMF borrowers include several countries that have received large-scale IMF financial assistance since the Asian financial crisis began in 1997. This report (1) identifies the extent to which current IMF borrower countries restrict international trade and the borrowers whose trade has the potential to affect the United States; (2) describes the reported trade barriers and export policies of four IMF borrowers--Brazil, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand--that are among those with the greatest capacity to affect the United States and recent steps taken to reduce those barriers and modify policies; (3) identifies actions the four countries have taken or plan to take to liberalize their trading systems; and (4) determines the extent to which the impact of the four countries' export policies on the United States can be predicted and measured and which U.S. industry sectors might be affected by recent changes in trade from these countries.
