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Margaret Spiegelman

Margaret Spiegelman

Margaret Spiegelman is an associate editor with Inside U.S. Trade.

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Brazil eyes near-term digital deal with the U.S., FTA in the long term

Brazil is focused on near-term opportunities to advance bilateral relations with the U.S. -- including the addition of digital trade to a limited arrangement announced last year -- while it continues to push for a comprehensive bilateral agreement, Brazilian officials said on Thursday. Brazilian Foreign Trade Secretary Lucas Ferraz said he hopes the U.S. and Brazil will build on “significant progress” made last October with the signing of a protocol that updated a 2011 bilateral framework to include annexes on...

Industry groups: U.S. must reconsider ‘self-defeating’ Trump-era tariffs

The U.S. should roll back “unwarranted, ineffective and self-defeating” tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, a coalition of 37 trade associations representing business and agriculture interests said on Wednesday. The group is targeting both Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which it says are “causing harm to those already suffering” due to economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Foreign Trade Council on Wednesday announced a slate of recommendations to policy makers for how...

Analysts: AGOA’s future looks less tenuous under Biden

Prospects for renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a 20-year-old U.S. preferential trade agreement due to expire in 2025, look stronger with President Biden in office, analysts say, though the trade preference program could be significantly modified if the U.S. continues a shift toward reciprocal trade agreements on the continent. The new administration has yet to lay out a plan for trade policy with Africa, but has left open the possibility of continuing talks with Kenya on a bilateral...

Analysts: U.S., Japan cooperation on digital trade could counter China

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Japan this week to meet with his counterpart and other officials for discussions on a range of issues including digital trade, an area analysts say is ripe for the two countries to address in trying to counter China’s influence. Blinken, set to be in Japan March 16-18, will meet with Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi and other officials in Tokyo “to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues,” according...

Rep. Smith: Congress needs answers about ocean carriers spurning U.S. exports

Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) is calling on the Federal Maritime Commission to urgently seek answers and consider “enforcement options” following reports that ocean carriers are refusing to ship U.S. agricultural goods. A pandemic-fueled spike in U.S. imports last year led to increased demand in Asia for shipping containers to carry those goods to the U.S. The demand spike has incentivized carriers to return empty containers to Asia rather than pay to move them from ports to the interior of the...

Officials: Pandemic-driven trade probe procedures could spur permanent changes

Efforts to adapt trade investigation procedures to a virtual work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed opportunities to reduce costs, broaden witness participation and increase public access to hearings, according to officials who say some changes could lead to permanent improvements. The U.S. International Trade Commission, the Commerce Department and the Court of International Trade last year shifted in-person hearings to video conferencing due to the pandemic. Despite challenges, some aspects of those virtual hearings and other online work procedures...

Sen. Casey to propose outbound investment screen for critical supply chains

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is refining legislation that would establish a process to screen outbound investments and the offshoring of critical supply chains to ensure the U.S. is prepared “in times of crisis,” he said in a statement. "We have all seen the cost of relying on China for critical supplies, like PPE and medical equipment, however we have little visibility on other vulnerabilities that may exist within critical supply chains,” Casey said in the statement, provided to Inside U.S....

Commerce official: U.S. to work with allies to address ‘authoritarian’ use of AI

The U.S. is working with allies to identify shared priorities for the use of artificial intelligence as a first step toward addressing the use of technology for surveillance by authoritarian governments, a Commerce official said Tuesday. The U.S. has said it hopes to keep some advanced technologies, including AI, out of the hands of authoritarian governments like China’s. The Trump administration enacted a series of export controls, sometimes citing China’s human rights abuses in the Xinjiang province, on advanced technologies...

Industry: U.S. must address pandemic-related market shocks that harm businesses

The U.S. must take a range of actions to address pandemic-related market shocks that have spurred high costs and long delays for U.S. importers and exporters, causing major disruptions to supply chains, according to industry representatives. U.S. consumer goods imports have spiked after an initial drop-off at the start of the pandemic. That spike has led to increased demand for shipping containers, especially in Asia, the largest source of U.S. apparel and a major source of personal protective equipment, according...

Adeyemo: U.S. seeks to ‘protect’ tax revenues in OECD negotiations

The U.S. will aim to “protect America’s tax revenues” in negotiations at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, President Biden’s pick for deputy Treasury secretary said on Tuesday, potentially complicating talks with other countries that want U.S.-based companies to pay taxes in other jurisdictions. Members of the OECD’s inclusive framework have been working on an overhaul of the international tax structure to address, and potentially replace, the perceived need for digital services taxes. The U.S. has claimed digital services...

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