Trade barriers

Have you ever traded toys or snacks with your friends at school? Just like that, countries also trade things with each other, like products and services. But sometimes, these countries put up barriers that could make trading difficult or even impossible.

For example, imagine you have some candy that you want to trade with your friend who lives in another country. But that other country says, "Nope, you can't bring candy into our country." That's like a trade barrier.

There are many different types of trade barriers. One type is a tariff, which is like a tax that a country charges on goods that come from other countries. So if you want to buy a toy that was made in another country, the tariff might make that toy more expensive.

Another type of trade barrier is called a quota, which means that a country limits the amount of a certain product that can be imported into their country. So if your country only allows 100 toys from another country to be imported, then if 100 toys have already been imported, no more toys can come in.

There are other types of trade barriers, too, like regulations that make it difficult for certain products to meet the requirements for being sold in another country. All these barriers can make it tough for countries to trade with each other, which can hurt their businesses and economies.

But sometimes, countries put up trade barriers to protect their own products and industries. For example, a country might want to support their local farmers by putting up barriers to make it harder for foreign farmers to sell their crops in that country. This can help the local farmers, but it can also make it harder for other countries to sell their products and can cause tensions between countries.

So trade barriers can be like obstacles that can make it harder for countries to trade with each other, but they can also be a way for countries to protect their own businesses and industries.