In recent editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
China on Aug. 31 blocked a U.S. request at the World Trade Organization for a dispute panel to examine China’s tariff-rate quotas for rice, wheat and corn, according to a Geneva trade official. February dispute consultations failed to resolve U.S. concerns. The U.S. requested consultations in December, the first step of the WTO dispute settlement process, claiming that China filled only about half of the total value of its listed quotas for the commodities (see 1612150028). At the WTO, the U.S. is charging that China doesn’t administer the TRQs in a transparent, fair or predictable basis, and that China doesn’t use clear procedures and requirements “that would not inhibit the filling of each TRQ,” the official said. The U.S. can again request a dispute panel during the next WTO Dispute Settlement Body meeting on Sept. 29, at which point the panel could be blocked only if all members in attendance agree not to establish one.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of Aug. 30 (some may also be given separate headlines):
The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notice:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s initiation of a Section 301 investigation into reportedly unfair Chinese forced technology transfers and intellectual property policies could “severely” undermine the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, Chinese government media reported on Aug. 28. “Until recently, it had been hard to see where the next financial crisis could come from,” says an article published by China’s Global Times. “But imposing trade sanctions could trigger the pricking of China's credit bubble, engendering social and political unrest, exacerbating China's economic woes and thwarting its economic advance.”
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notice as of Aug. 28 (some may also be given separate headlines):
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of Aug. 25 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Canada redoubled its efforts this week to conclude a softwood lumber deal with the U.S., as officials wrote to all U.S. senators that duties would translate to higher U.S. home prices and huge job losses, and made the case publicly that Canada has submitted fair softwood proposals to the U.S. Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton said during an Aug. 24 panel discussion at his embassy that Canada is willing to negotiate a cap on the allowable U.S. market share of Canadian softwood, but also wants cap flexibility in case the U.S. homebuilding industry experiences “excess demand" for the good. “We are going to try really hard in the next little while to get a fair and balanced agreement with the United States, and if that is not possible, we have all agreed that we will take all necessary steps to litigate this matter until we get a fair arrangement, as we have in the past,” MacNaughton said.
Officials from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries are refining targeting and forensic identification methods to distinguish between legal and illegal wood at customs checkpoints, according to an Aug. 22 news release detailing an ongoing APEC meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. APEC members are sharing guidance to inform handling of shipments upon discovery and to support more effective preventive action, the release says. Approaches include opening communication lines to curtail fake document use as well as bribery and corruption linked to “high-level perpetrators,” the release says.