It’s time for the World Trade Organization to study the impact of state-owned banks giving low-cost loans to state-owned industries to boost demand during recessions, US-led group of five WTO members says.
Asia
WTO: EU, US and Japanese silence on steel measures speaks louder than words
The EU, the US and India came under fire today for measures to protect their steel and solar cell industries. But what’s more interesting is what wasn’t said during the meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Safeguards Committee. WTO members criticised the EU’s ‘safeguard’ investigation into steel as well …
Week ahead in EU trade: INTA, MIC, Mercosur, Tunisia, trade remedies, UK customs union
Put on your seatbelt and get prepared for a crazy ride this week.
In brief: Commission starts Japan and Singapore ratification processes
The European Commission today initiated the ratification process of the EU’s trade agreements with Japan and Singapore. The Singapore pact, concluded in 2014, was subject to a lengthy judicial process that resulted in a May 2017 ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU identifying where the bloc …
EU trashes Chinese standards on foreign waste
China must give exporters more time to adjust to 11 new environmental protection control standards for imported solid waste as raw materials, the EU says. Governments got just 30 days to comment on the proposed changes, which were to enter into force on 1 March, and exporters had only 14 …
Week ahead in EU trade: US, Mexico, investment, Commonwealth, Australia
This week, the the policy churn in Brussels will mainly be about what to do about Donald Trump’s trade policies. Some progress might be made when the EU and Mexico sit down for another negotiating round aimed at updating their trade deal, and European lawmakers in Strasbourg will vote on a …
Deng: Double whammy of EU steel safeguards and US duties would be ‘disaster’ for Taiwan
A decision by the EU to slap safeguards on foreign steel would have severe repercussions in Taiwan, whose exports of the alloy to the US are already subject to 25% duties, says Taiwan’s top trade negotiator. Without an exemption from the US tariffs – something Taiwan has tried and failed to …
Section 232: China’s WTO complaint calls US metals duties discriminatory
China is the first country to lodge a legal challenge to US tariffs on steel and aluminium that officials from other World Trade Organization members, including the EU, say violate global trade laws. Beijing says the duties are discriminatory, because the US gave exemptions to some trade partners but not …
A week in Brussels: Culture goods, procurement, Sri Lanka
This week was comparatively quiet. It was Easter, after all. There’s been some movement on the wider global trade war front. Don’t forget to read up on our two articles here and here. The headlines of these articles’ may say ‘China’ or ‘Japan’, but the pieces include a lot …
Beyond Brussels: US-China trade clash escalates as Trump ups ante
With global fears mounting that the US-China trade dispute will escalate into a full-blown trade war, a softer tone from senior officials in both countries this week suggesting that the standoff could be resolved through negotiations came as welcome news around the world. Both sides seemed ready to take a …
