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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Thursday backed the U.S.’ continued support of Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee to lead the World Trade Organization despite majority support for her rival.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative defended its choice in World Trade Organization director-general candidate on Wednesday, arguing the organization “must” be led by someone with "hands-on" experience in trade and that person is Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee.
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was named on Wednesday as the director-general candidate with the widest support, but her appointment remains in question after the U.S. told members it could not join the consensus for her to lead the WTO, according to a source in the room and other reports.
The World Trade Organization will announce its consensus director-general pick on Wednesday, with Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala picking up momentum after winning European Union support this week.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria and Yoo Myung-hee of Korea are the two finalists for the World Trade Organization’s top job, the General Council chair announced on Thursday.
The next World Trade Organization director-general will be a woman, with Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee reportedly set to be announced on Thursday as the final two candidates to advance to the final round of vetting.
The dates are still being finalized, according to USTR.
The World Trade Organization will hold an informal heads of delegations meeting on Thursday to name the final two director-general candidates, according to a Geneva-based trade official.
“Make no attempts to undermine … domestic laws or regional agreements developed to meaningfully protect the health and environment of its people, such as bans on plastic bags and restrictions on single-use plastics.”
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield last week called on Ankara to “actually start” steel and aluminum quota negotiations with Washington, while a key Turkish official contended that -- despite an attempt -- there was “no progress in that area.”
Trade negotiators from Washington and Nairobi will exchange text during their next round of discussions in October, sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.
Two senior House Ways & Means trade subcommittee Democrats said last week they were optimistic a Biden administration could prioritize a reset of U.S. trade relations.
Petrochemical industry efforts to influence U.S.-Kenya trade talks could be a “flashpoint” for House Democrats this fall, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said on Monday, citing fears that the Trump administration could pressure the African country to undo laws limiting what he called the “horrific” proliferation of plastics.
Mohammed Moziad Al-Tuwaijri, Saudi Arabia’s candidate to lead the World Trade Organization, wants to bring his business sensibility to an institution in crisis, arguing that quantifying the WTO’s impact and establishing a track record of delivery will renew trust and confidence in the ailing organization.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week discussed U.S.-Africa trade relations with Reps. Dwight Evans (D-PA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) as well as Philadelphia-area business representatives, Evans said in an Aug. 12 statement.
The International Dairy Foods Association writes that the EU is dominating the market in Kenya.
If the World Trade Organization is like a tea bag, to paraphrase an old adage, its strength can be gauged only once it is in hot water -- and the water in Geneva is boiling.
The approach to special and differential treatment provided to developing countries is already changing at the World Trade Organization, Kenya’s director-general candidate Amina Mohamed said on Thursday, arguing that a more need-based approach in the most recent multilateral agreement reached by the WTO was a good starting point.
Saudi Arabia’s former economy minister, a candidate to lead the World Trade Organization, said on Wednesday that he would bring a “performance and delivery culture” to the institution in an effort to fix the largely stalled negotiating arm.
Negotiators from the U.S. and Kenya will resume virtual negotiations on a potential trade deal this week, sources told Inside U.S. Trade.