The election of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States will have important implications for US trade policy and the World Trade Organization. In the four years since his departure as Vice President, US...more
12/21/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Buy America ,
China ,
CPTPP ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
WTO
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) instituted a global safeguard investigation concerning imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries, pursuant to Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, on October 6, 2020. In its...more
On September 30, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (the "2020 Order") declaring a national emergency, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act (NEA, 50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), with respect to the United States'...more
On May 1, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the acquisition, importation, transfer, or installation of certain “bulk-power system electric equipment” where the transaction involves property in which...more
5/6/2020
/ Bulk Electric System ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
National Security ,
Power Grid ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Secretary of Energy ,
State of Emergency ,
Trump Administration
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the purpose of which is to provide emergency assistance and health care responses for individuals,...more
3/30/2020
/ Agricultural Sector ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Supplies ,
National Stockpile ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State of Emergency ,
Supply Chain ,
Supply Shortages ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
WTO
On January 16, 2020, the US Senate approved legislation implement the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by a vote of 89 to 10, sending the legislation to President Trump to be signed into law. The Senate's approval follows a...more
1/18/2020
/ Amended Legislation ,
Canada ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On January 15, 2020, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed "Phase One" of an Economic and Trade Agreement between the United States and China. The Phase One Agreement, which the two sides announced in...more
1/17/2020
/ Agricultural Sector ,
China ,
Currency Exchange ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Exports ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Goods or Services ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Section 301 ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Subsidies ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Transfer Agreements ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States ,
WTO
On December 2, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced its determination that France's Digital Services Tax (DST) is "unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce" and is...more
12/11/2019
/ BEPS ,
Digital Services Tax ,
France ,
OECD ,
Proposed Rules ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR ,
WTO
More than one month after President Trump’s announcement that the United States and China had reached a narrow, “Phase One” trade agreement “in principle,” negotiations to finalize the agreement remain incomplete, and...more
With just weeks remaining on the 2019 congressional calendar, a potential House vote on legislation to implement the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) remains in doubt. Negotiations between House Democrats and the Office of...more
On October 7, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published the official text of the US-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA), which will reduce or eliminate tariffs on bilateral trade in certain agricultural and...more
Following President Trump’s October 11, 2019 announcement of a “phase one” trade agreement between the United States and China (please refer to the W&C US Trade Alert dated October 11, 2019), additional details have emerged...more
On August 25, 2019, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly announced that the United States and Japan have reached an agreement on core principles of a bilateral trade agreement covering...more
9/5/2019
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
CPTPP ,
Digital Marketplace ,
GATT ,
Japan ,
Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
United Nations ,
United States ,
WTO
On August 23, 2019, China's State Council Tariff Commission (SCTC) announced that China will impose additional tariffs ranging from five percent to 10 percent on approximately US$75 billion in annual imports from the United...more
On August 15, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice formally implementing an additional ten percent tariff on approximately US$300 billion in annual imports from China...more
On August 5, 2019, the US Department of the Treasury ("Treasury") announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, "under the auspices of President Trump," has determined that China is a "currency manipulator" pursuant to...more
8/8/2019
/ Bilateral Agreements ,
China ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Currency Manipulation ,
Exchange Rates ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
International Monetary Fund ,
Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 ,
Secretary of the Treasury ,
Section 3004 ,
Section 701 ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Trade Policies
On May 30, 2019, President Trump announced his intention to impose an additional tariff of five percent on all goods imported from Mexico beginning June 10, 2019, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act...more
On May 17, 2019, the United States announced that it had reached agreements with Canada and Mexico to remove the US tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum products from those countries pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade...more
5/23/2019
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
Canada ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration
On May 17, 2019, President Trump issued a Proclamation containing his determinations in the US investigation into the effects of imports of automobiles and automobile parts on the national security of the United States,...more
5/20/2019
/ Automotive Industry ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
China ,
EU ,
Government Investigations ,
Imports ,
Japan ,
National Security ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Section 232 ,
South Korea ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
USTR
As indicated on May 10, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) today released a draft Federal Register notice proposing additional tariffs on approximately US$ 300 billion worth of goods imported from China ("List...more
5/16/2019
/ Ad Velorum Property Taxes ,
China ,
Economic Injuries ,
Imports ,
Public Comment ,
Public Hearing ,
Statements of Economic Interest ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) this evening announced its intention to apply new tariffs on all remaining China-origin imports, totaling approximately USD 325 billion per year, under Section 301 of the Trade Act...more
May 10, 2019, the Section 301 tariff rate on approximately US$200 billion worth of "List 3" Chinese imports increased to 25 percent (from the previous rate of 10 percent), after US and Chinese negotiators failed to reach an...more
5/15/2019
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
New Guidance ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On May 8, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published a draft Federal Register notice increasing the Section 301 tariff rate on approximately US $200 billion worth of "List 3" Chinese imports to 25...more
On May 5, 2019, President Trump announced that he intends to increase the Section 301 tariff rate on approximately US$200 billion worth of "List 3" Chinese imports to 25 percent (from the current rate of 10 percent) beginning...more
In recent weeks, the Trump administration and members of the US business community have continued to engage with the US Congress to advocate congressional approval of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which they have...more
5/2/2019
/ AFL-CIO ,
Climate Change ,
Dispute Resolution Clauses ,
Environmental Policies ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
International Trade Disputes ,
Labor Reform ,
Members of Congress ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Nancy Pelosi ,
Political Parties ,
Popular ,
Section 232 ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)