Merkel calls for rules on global trade

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said on Wednesday the international community would face “grave social disorder” if it failed to agree on a global framework of rules to govern competition between old industrial and fast-developing economies.

In her opening speech to the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos, she drew on the German post-war economic miracle to highlight the role of social, environmental, ethical and technical standards in promoting sustainable economic development.