Inside U.S. Trade - 02/17/2012
U.S., China Agree To Seek International Pact On Export Finance By 2014
President
Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed this week to try to reach a
multilateral agreement by 2014 on a set of international guidelines for
providing official export financing.1481 words
Canada Engaged In Intense Effort To Convince TPP Members To Let It Join
The
Canadian federal government is engaged in an intense, broad and public effort
to convince other countries participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) negotiations to let it join those ongoing talks, although Canadian
officials are most intensely focused on winning over the United States,
observers said.1553 words
Staff Makes Progress In GPX Talks, But Bill Unlikely Until After Recess
Key
congressional staff met again this week to discuss the development of GPX
legislation, and while they continued to make good progress in their
discussions, it is unlikely that a bill will be introduced today (Feb. 17). As
Congress is on break all next week, this means a bill will likely not be
introduced until at least Feb. 27, sources said.863 words
U.S., EU To Hold First Organizational Meeting Of High-Level Working Group
The
United States and the European Union next week will hold the first
organizational meeting of a high-level working group tasked with finding ways
to create jobs and economic growth by deepening trans-Atlantic trade.997 words
Marantis To Discuss TPP In Visits To Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines This Month
Deputy
U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis will travel to Vietnam, Brunei and
the Philippines beginning next week to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) negotiations and a range of bilateral trade issues, according to a USTR
spokeswoman.308 words
Biden Cites Areas Of Progress, Further Work After China VP Sessions
After
holding a series of high-level meetings with China's presumed future leader,
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden this week claimed progress had been achieved on a
number of sensitive U.S. economic priorities, but warned that further work is
needed on other key trade irritants flagged by the U.S.1173 words
Obama Requests Reorganization Power; Hints Trade Proposal Not Yet Ready
President Obama on Feb. 16 formally
submitted his request to Congress for broad authority to reorganize the
executive branch, which is the first step in his plan to consolidate six
federal agencies dealing with trade. But at the same time the White House
indicated it has not yet fully developed its trade reorganization proposal.477 words
Under Proposal For Enforcement Center, ITA Would Get Most New Funds
President
Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget proposal unveiled Feb. 13 requested $26 million
in new funds for the creation of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center
(ITEC), most of which would go towards bolstering the Commerce Department's International
Trade Administration (ITA), with $2 million going to the Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative.1042 words
Obama FY '13 Budget Goes Beyond Farm Savings Envisioned By Congress
The White
House this week proposed an Agriculture Department budget for the 2013 fiscal
year that would save $32 billion over the next decade, mostly by eliminating
direct payments to farmers and reducing subsidies to crop insurance companies.1314 words
Korea Moves Ahead With Zeroing Challenge Despite Final Commerce Rule
South
Korea is moving ahead with its World Trade Organization challenge of the U.S.
use of zeroing in past reviews of antidumping (AD) margins despite the fact
that the Commerce Department this week published a final rule stating that
Commerce will no longer use zeroing in future reviews that are just like the
past reviews Korea is now challenging.1188 words
Petitioners May Explore New Options To Boost AD Margins In Reviews
In light
of the decision by the Commerce Department to move away from the use of zeroing
in most administrative reviews of antidumping (AD) margins, U.S. petitioners
may now choose to more carefully explore all of their options in order to
ensure that AD margins capture the full extent of any dumping that occurs,
according to a Commerce official.1107 words
Commerce Rule Leaves Door Open To Possible Future Use Of Zeroing
A final
rule published by the Commerce Department this week, which is the first step
called for under U.S. settlements with the European Union and Japan in
longstanding fights over zeroing, contains a commitment to drop the general use
of zeroing in future administrative reviews of antidumping (AD) margins, but
does not rule it out completely.1419 words
U.S. Presses For Changes On EU Regulation On Lactic Acid Beef Wash
The
United States is seeking changes to a draft European Union regulation that
would allow lactic acid to be used as an antimicrobial treatment on beef sold
in the EU, and a top U.S. trade official was expected to discuss the regulation
with EU officials this week in Brussels, according to informed sources.1368 words
Insurers Ask USTR To Address 'Solvency II' In U.S.-EU Working Group
American
and European insurance providers are asking the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative to consider including on the agenda of the new U.S.-EU
high-level working group a discussion on how to achieve mutual recognition of
each others' insurance regulatory regimes.1297 words
Key IPR Group Outlines Specific Objections To Canadian Copyright Bill
The
International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) late last week submitted
comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining their
specific objections to a copyright bill that is poised to pass through the
Canadian Parliament in coming months, arguing that the bill does not go far
enough to protect intellectual property rights (IPR).1671 words
Task Force Urges U.S., EU To Pursue Broad Trade Liberalization Strategy
A report
unveiled Feb. 15 in Brussels by two think tanks recommended that the United
States and European Union work to conclude a comprehensive trade agreement that
covers "substantially all trade" but also goes beyond traditional free-trade
paradigms to inject new life into the multilateral trading system.857 words
Experts: Russia Unlikely To Receive 'Grace Period' From WTO Countries
Two
former members of the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body last week said
that WTO members are unlikely to refrain from bringing dispute settlement cases
against Russia once it accedes to the WTO, even though members held off on
launching disputes against China for roughly three years following its
accession in 2001.712 words
Special 301 Comments Cite Russian Non-Compliance With WTO Promises
Major
U.S. right holder industries generally expressed alarm late last week at the
fact that Russia has still not implemented some of the legal reforms to which
it committed in order to accede to the World Trade Organization, and reiterated
their charge that Russia is still inadequately enforcing intellectual property
rights (IPR).1601 words
Documents Show USTR Made Last-Ditch Effort To Sign Up States To GPA
As the
talks for an updated Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) entered their final
phase last fall, the Obama administration mounted a last-ditch effort to sign
up four additional U.S. states to the GPA in an effort to strengthen the U.S.
negotiating position, according to documents obtained by Inside U.S. Trade
under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).585 words
Final Boeing Report Likely To Free Up Appellate Body, But Hurdles Persist
The
ruling expected this spring by the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body in
the second of two cases over subsidies the U.S. and EU provided for the
development of large civil aircraft will likely free up the seven-member panel
to better meet its target of delivering its rulings within 90 days.1068 words
Baucus Pledges Work On Russia Permanent MFN Ahead Of Expected Trip
Senate
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) this week declared his intention
to work with the administration and other senators toward granting permanent
most favored nation (MFN) status to Russia as it enters the World Trade
Organization.357 words
U.S., Mexican Officials Hold Additional Meetings On TPP Following Minister's Visit
The
United States and Mexico held further meetings this week on Mexico's interest
in joining the TPP talks following last week's visit by Mexican Economy
Secretary Bruno Ferrari to Washington.380 words
Korean Government Says It Is Worried About Opposition FTA Threat
The South
Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) last week said it is
worried about the international implications of an opposition party threat to
block the U.S-Korea free trade agreement, while offering reassurances that the
Korean government will continue to implement the deal ratified last fall.300 words
Kirk Asks ITC To Examine Impact Of Adding LDC Cotton Products To GSP
U.S.
Trade Representative Ron Kirk late last week followed up on a commitment made
last December to launch a review process on whether certain upland cotton
products exported by least developed countries (LDC) to the U.S. should be
eligible for duty-free entry under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).372 words
BIS Budget Includes Additional Hires For Export Control Reform Initiative
President
Obama's fiscal 2013 budget proposal includes a request for $3.5 million in
additional funding for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and
Security (BIS) to add more staff in its export administration division as part
of the administration's export control reform initiative.311 words
ITC Votes To Continue Investigations In Washing Machine, Wind Tower Cases
The U.S.
International Trade Commission (ITC) on Feb. 10 voted to continue three
separate trade remedy cases on clothes washers, utility scale wind towers and
steel wire garment hangers after determining there is a reasonable indication
that U.S. industry is threatened with material injury from foreign companies.341 words
President Of Services Coalition Set To Retire
Bob
Vastine, the veteran trade lobbyist who has led the Coalition of Service
Industries (CSI) for the past 15 years, will step down from the CSI presidency
and retire this fall, according to a Feb. 16 announcement by the trade
association.201 words
Importers Expect Waiver Of 100 Percent Scanning As July Deadline Looms
U.S.
importers are facing a July 1 statutory deadline that would block all foreign
containers from entering U.S. ports if they have not first been scanned
overseas with relatively little trepidation because they do not expect the
deadline to take hold, according to private-sector sources.1571 words
Container Scanning Falls Far Short Of 100 Percent Legal Requirement
With less
than five months to go for a statutory deadline of scanning of all U.S.-bound
containers before their departure, roughly one percent of containers are
scanned overseas, with an additional four to five percent upon arrival in the
United States, according to the Feb. 7 testimony of administration officials to
the House Homeland Security subcommittee on border and maritime security.595 words
Lamy Urges Members To Take 'Small Steps' In Doha Round Negotiations
World
Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy this week urged WTO members
take "small steps" on issues like trade facilitation or other issues of
interest to least developed countries (LDCs) in order to help move past the current
deadlock of the Doha round negotiations.603 words
U.S., EU Agree To Recognize Each Others' Certifications For Organic Food
The
United States and European Union this week agreed to recognize as mutually
equivalent their separate certification systems for organic food products, a
move that officials on both sides said would boost organic trade between the
two economies by reducing regulatory barriers and lowering costs for producers.948 words
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