Amid prospects for bilateral FTA talks, U.S. critiques Philippines at WTO

The U.S. criticized the Philippines over its intellectual property regime and food safety inspection measures during the World Trade Organization’s review of Manila’s trade policy this week, laying out what could be obstacles in talks for a potential bilateral trade deal. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has suggested the Philippines could be the first Southeast Asian country with which the U.S. negotiates a bilateral trade agreement. During the two-day trade policy review, the U.S. took issue with an increase in...