In contrast to its expansion of Buy American policies, the Trump administration took an unusual step and lifted a ban on procurement of N95 masks, hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other products needed to fight covid-19 from non-trade
In a February 2020 meeting, the WTO Committee on Government Procurement assessed the status of negotiations by several WTO members to join the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and Switzerland’s imminent ratification of the revised GPA. This post
On January 1, 2020, China implemented a new Foreign Investment Law (FIL) along with implementing regulations. The Law, adopted by the National People’s Congress in March 2019, was designed to ease restrictions on foreign firms’ operations in China and
In a January report, BUSINESSEUROPE, a leading business organization, called on the European Union to rebalance its relationship with China in order to address systemic challenges arising from its state-led economy that are leading to market distortions
Just when President Trump seemed on the brink of concluding a comprehensive trade agreement with China, the talks fell apart on May 10, and he responded with more tariffs. In light of the set-back, this post considers how Trump’s approach to trade
The United States has proposed a significant reduction in the number of members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that would qualify for developing country status and benefit from special and differential (S&D) treatment. This post examines the
Based on the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) investigation of Chinese practices relating to intellectual property rights and forced technology transfers under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the president imposed tariffs of $50 billion (and
The WTO conducted its 7th review of China’s trade policies in July. The biannual Trade Policy Review (TPR) provided WTO members with an opportunity to take a close look at China’s trade and economic policies and developments since its last review
On July 18, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched its fourth investigation in 15 months under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to determine whether imports should be restricted as threats to national security. The latest investigation is
A report of the June 27th meeting of the WTO government procurement committee pointed to progress in negotiations of WTO members to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). It has been two years since the GPA added new members. This post highlights