More than a hundred organizations wrote an open letter calling upon governments to unite behind a “zero-tolerance” policy to deter attacks on vessels and seafarers in the Red Sea and “anywhere in the world.” The letter, dated Feb. 8, said that more than 30% of the world’s trade moves through the Red Sea and that the attacks have caused more than $80 billion in cargo to be “diverted” around the Cape of Good Hope.

Technology companies, trade groups, think tanks and researchers urged the government to be cautious as it evaluates its semiconductor-related export controls and prepares new ones, warning that misguided restrictions could cede American technology leadership to China, hurt the competitiveness of U.S. companies and raise the complexity of an already fraught compliance landscape.

Women who advocate for businesses in the EU and in the U.S. complained that while the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council is better than nothing, it has neglected the "trade" part of its title.

The Senate voted 87-11 to approve a laddered temporary spending bill that will continue government appropriations at last fiscal year's level through Jan. 19 for some agencies and through Feb. 2 for others.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and BusinessEurope issued a joint statement ahead of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit with President Joe Biden, asking them to "definitively reject protectionism," which the groups said is on the rise, due to "misinformed narratives about industrial decline." She will be in Washington Oct. 20.

If the Treasury Department doesn't clarify the due-diligence steps that will be required of dealmakers under the agency’s upcoming outbound investment prohibitions, the Biden administration risks chilling a broad range of U.S ventures in China and incentivizing foreign companies to seek funds elsewhere, law firms and industry associations said in comments to the agency.

India's Directorate-General of Foreign Trade on Sept. 20 delisted 29 chambers of commerce or agencies from the list of agencies allowed to issue certificates of origin for failing to comply with the directive to onboard the DGFT's e-country of origin platform. The certificates of origin issued by these agencies were nonpreferential.

A recently issued paper from the International Chamber of Commerce highlights the “great challenge” facing financial institutions in providing trade finance to businesses, especially those involved in dual-use goods, Stephenson Harwood said in an Aug. 29 client alert.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president for international policy said that when the trade ministers for the G-20 nations meet in India later this week, they should pledge not to hike tariffs, impose new export restraints or add digital trade barriers.

Lawmakers, business groups and think tanks gave a mixed bag of immediate feedback on the Biden administration’s executive order restricting outbound investments in China, with some applauding the government’s initial, cautious approach, and others expressing frustration that the restrictions don’t go far enough.