The Philippines calls for FTA, critical minerals deal with the U.S

Filipino Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual last week appealed to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to open talks on a bilateral free trade agreement and forge a deal -- similar to one the U.S. recently struck with Japan -- that would allow critical minerals from the Philippines to count in calculating U.S. electric vehicle tax incentives. Tai last week traveled to Manila and Japan to meet with her counterparts there. According to a USTR readout , Tai and Pascual “reaffirmed their...