A reported detainment by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of a shipment of solar panels from a major producer indicates the agency is taking a hardline approach to implementing a new ban on goods made with forced labor, according to analysts and lawyers.
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“You people in the Biden administration are very confused,” the senator tweeted in response.
Wed, 6:51 PM
“Each country has taken, or continued to take, steps that have undermined or risk undermining the benefits negotiated through enactment of the USMCA.”
Wed, 2:28 PM
Comments will be due in early August for the “focused trade strategy” that will aim to identify existing tools and potentially create new ones in tackling forced labor.
Tue, 5:08 PM
Citing the “complexity” of the issue, the WTO panels say their reports will come “no earlier than the last quarter of 2022.”
Tue, 3:19 PM
Five Republican senators on Tuesday urged colleagues charged with reconciling the House’s America COMPETES Act with the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to reach a deal on trade provisions that would more closely reflect the House bill, forged by Democrats, than its bipartisan Senate counterpart.
A dozen House Republicans are calling on President Biden to initiate a World Trade Organization dispute against India over its agricultural subsidies, moving an issue lawmakers previously have raised to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative up the chain of command.
Mexico is struggling to meet its environmental obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says in a new report that lays out a host of concerns -- including several related to ongoing USMCA consultations about the country’s enforcement of its fishing regulations and others arising from the construction of a major Mexican train project.
The Export-Import Bank made progress during the first year of the Biden administration on efforts to compete against China and fight climate change but must take steps to ensure it advances U.S. export competitiveness “in an era of volatility and crowded competition,” the bank said on June 30 in its annual report to Congress.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week announced several administrative changes to increase penalties on companies found to be in violation of U.S. export controls, including escalating fines, plans to strike non-monetary resolutions for less serious violations and an end to the practice of allowing companies to reach settlements with BIS without admitting fault.
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Food security concerns continue to dominate meetings on agriculture issues at the World Trade Organization, with members this week addressing the implementation of the 12th ministerial conference food security declaration and the U.S. and others confronting India about its wheat export ban, as well as Russia about blocking Ukrainian agricultural exports.
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The Biden administration will continue its push for more robust rules and enforcement related to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and forced labor on fishing vessels, the White House said on Monday, directing the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to continue to push for fisheries subsidies disciplines that did not make it into the pared-down deal agreed at the World Trade...
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Taiwan has told the U.S. it is intent on a “very ambitious schedule” in negotiations via the recently launched Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, according to Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator John Deng, who tells Inside U.S. Trade he is hopeful that early harvests from the talks could help make way for Taiwan’s inclusion in parallel negotiations underway between the U.S. and other partners in Indo-Pacific.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Thursday threatened to withhold Republican support for a bipartisan China-focused competitiveness bill if Democrats proceed with using a filibuster-proof method to pass a bill with elements of their economic agenda.
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The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to “assess” whether the automotive rules of origin in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are effective with the evolving technology used in cars, especially electric vehicles, the agency said in a report this week, acknowledging complaints from the industry that the rules don’t reflect the EV supply chain.
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The leaders will discuss a host of issues including energy -- the subject of mounting trade tensions between the two countries.
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The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to “assess” whether the automotive rules of origin in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are effective with the evolving technology used in cars, especially electric vehicles, the agency said in a report this week, acknowledging complaints from the industry that the rules don’t reflect the EV supply chain.
A weekly overview of the policy moves driving the U.S.-China tech competition
SPECIAL REPORT: The 12th WTO ministerial
Okonjo-Iweala, WTO members tout MC12 success; package gets mixed reviews from business, civil society
GENEVA -- Hailing the package of outcomes agreed at the World Trade Organization’s 12th ministerial conference as historic, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and WTO members have touted its breadth and systemic importance for the organization, though the reaction from business and civil society groups has been mixed.
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