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Battle lines are drawn over trade and cooperation, in Davos
Davos, Switzerland — World leaders in favour of international co-operation and free trade struck back Wednesday against the wave of populist nationalism that has featured more prominently than usual at the gathering of elites in Davos, Switzerland. As a dizzying…
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U.S., China on the agenda, not at the table for WTO reform talks in Ottawa
Washington, DC — At first glance, it sounds like another dusty, pinstriped political gathering with a yawn-inducing agenda — dispute resolution systems, the appellate body appointment process and plurilateral solutions to the international trade and development nexus. Fair enough —…
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China attacks provision of new USMCA deal said to be aimed at Beijing
Ottawa, ON — China says it deplores a controversial new clause in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that calls on the countries to notify each other if they enter into trade talks with a “non-market” economy. In a scathing statement, the…
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U.S. not invited to Canada’s save the WTO summit of 13 ‘like minded’ countries
Ottawa, ON — Canada has not included the United States in an upcoming meeting aimed at saving the international trading system because it doesn’t share the views of the 13 invited countries, says the new Canadian trade minister. Canada will…
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Amid trade war, US and China exchange invectives at WTO
Geneva, Switzerland — Ambassadors from the United States and China exchanged barbs at the World Trade Organization recently over the countries’ simmering trade dispute. The showdown between Dennis Shea and Zhang Xiangchen came at a WTO meeting in Geneva, as the two…
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Canada to join Mexico, Japan, South Korea, EU to talk auto tariffs
Ottawa, ON — Canada will join Mexico and other European and Asian auto-producing countries this week to plot strategy ahead of the potential imposition of tariffs on vehicles and auto parts exported to the United States. Japan and the European…
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U.S. hits back with WTO challenge against Canada’s retaliatory tariffs
Ottawa, ON — The United States fired back Monday at the Canadian government’s retaliatory tariffs on American imports by launching a formal challenge with the World Trade Organization. The Trump administration also called countermeasures aimed at the U.S. by Canada…
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China, EU to form group to modernize global trade rules
Beijing, China — China and the European Union agreed Monday to launch a group that will work to update global trade rules to address technology policy, subsidies and other emerging irritants and preserve support for international trade amid U.S. threats…
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WTO panel rules against Canada in preliminary ruling in C Series dispute
Montreal, QC — A World Trade Organization panel is moving ahead with its review of Brazil’s complaint that Bombardier Inc.’s C Series is receiving unfair subsidies after throwing out a key Canadian argument. The panel ruled against Canada’s objection that…
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World trade body warns of ‘domino effect’ in US China spat
Geneva, Switzerland — The head of the World Trade Organization says he understands that President Donald Trump wants to create U.S. jobs, but warns that getting tough on trade can trigger a “domino effect” that could derail such goals in…
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Trump tariffs undermine trust in rules based global commerce
Geneva, Switzerland —The Trump administration’s move to impose tariffs on countries like China undermines the rules-based system of global commerce that the United States itself helped create after World War II, experts and trading partners say. Those rules are embodied and…
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New NAFTA or no NAFTA? How Trump’s ire could affect Canadian agri food
The main objective of international trade agreements like NAFTA is to put limits on the ability of politicians to intervene in trade matters — for example, mutually agreeing to remove tariffs on certain goods and never raising them in the future. This…