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☆ U.S. raises 'grave concerns' over Mexico's agricultural biotech policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. officials raised "grave concerns" over Mexico's agricultural biotechnology policies in meetings with their Mexican counterparts on Monday, the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said. "We made it clear today that if this issue is not resolved, we will consider all options, including taking formal steps to enforce our rights under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement," the USTR office said in a statement. U.S. agriculture and trade officials traveled to Mexico to discuss Mexico's approach to agricultural biotech products. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - U.S. farm and trade officials raised "grave concerns" over Mexico's agricultural biotechnology policies in meetings with their Mexican counterparts on Monday, as lingering disagreements threaten decades of booming corn trade between the neighbors. The United States accounts for most of Mexican corn imports. U.S. officials traveled to Mexico to discuss Mexico's approach to agricultural biotech products. Mexico's agriculture ministry declined to comment, while the country's economy ministry, which handles trade, did not immediately provide comment. Mexican officials have said they will keep importing GM corn for animal feed.

☆ U.S., Taiwan officials pledge ambitious trade negotiating schedule
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The United States and Taiwan concluded four days of trade negotiations on Monday and reached consensus on a number of areas related to trade facilitation, anti-corruption, small and medium-sized enterprises and regulatory practices, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said. The first major negotiating round of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade saw the two sides exchange texts on those areas in Taipei, USTR said in a statement. "Officials also reached consensus in a number of areas and pledged to maintain an ambitious negotiating schedule in the months ahead to continue this momentum," USTR said. Taiwan last year was excluded from a broader U.S. trade initiative covering Indo-Pacific countries that also focuses on non-tariff issues. USTR said that the trade texts exchanged during the Taipei negotiating round "follow through on the two sides' shared commitment to pursue a high-ambition trade initiative" that would "strengthen and deepen economic and trade ties."

☆ Canada, Mexico win auto rules trade dispute with U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The decision is good for Canada and Mexico," said Flavio Volpe, president of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association. The decision is "disappointing," said Adam Hodge, a spokesperson for the United States Trade Representative's office, adding that the decision could result in "fewer American jobs". The USTR will now "engage Mexico and Canada on a possible resolution to the dispute," Hodge said. The decision was announced amid a separate USMCA dispute centered on energy that has pitted the United States and Canada against Mexico. The United States said "core part" content should not be rounded up when determining the content of the entire car.

☆ U.S. cuts off Burkina Faso from Africa duty-free trade program
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 1 (Reuters) - The United States has dropped Burkina Faso from the AGOA trade preference program for failing to meet the requirements of the AGOA statute, the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office said in a statement on Sunday. The Biden administration is "deeply concerned by the unconstitutional change" in government in Burkina Faso, according to the statement. Burkina Faso will be given "clear benchmarks" for a pathway toward reinstatement to the trade program, USTR's office said, adding that the Biden administration would work with the Burkinabe government. Frustrations over growing insecurity spurred two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022. Nearly two million people have been displaced and reside in makeshift camps, many run by the United Nations, that dot the arid countryside.

☆ U.S. extends tariff exclusions on 352 Chinese import categories for nine months
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Friday it is extending China "Section 301" tariff exclusions for another nine months on 352 Chinese import product categories that were set to expire at the end of 2022. The tariff exclusions, which include industrial components such as pumps and electric motors, some car parts and chemicals, bicycles and vacuum cleaners, were reinstated in March by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai as part of her strategy to confront Chinese trade practices. USTR said the extension "will help align further consideration of these exclusions with the ongoing comprehensive four year review" of the Section 301 tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump on some $370 billion worth of Chinese imports. The trade office said it is collecting comments in the tariff review through Jan. 17, 2023. Reporting by David Lawder Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It could also negatively impact African nations that produce battery materials. The United States has a Free Trade Agreement in place with only one African country, Morocco. Battery materials and trade are set to be a focus at next week's U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington where President Joe Biden will meet presidents of African countries including Congo. Under IRA, U.S. carmakers will get tax credits if they source at least 40% of battery materials domestically or from American free-trade partners. His is one of many projects across sub-Saharan Africa aiming to produce battery materials like lithium, nickel and graphite.

The proposal from the U.S. Trade Representative's office to be negotiated with the European Union would create a "club" of countries seeking to reduce carbon emissions. Countries with emissions exceeding the standards would pay higher tariffs when exporting metals to countries with lower emissions, the sources briefed on the plans said. Countries with steel and aluminum plant emissions at or below the standards would pay lower tariffs, the sources said. U.S. steelmakers claim to have the world’s lowest carbon emissions levels, in part because 70% of American steel is made from scrap iron in electric-arc furnaces rather than coal-fired blast furnaces. The U.S.-EU talks on low-carbon steel have been aimed in large part at China, which relies on coal for most of its steel output as well as low-grade iron ore that contributes to high carbon emissions.

☆ U.S., Taiwan wrap up 'productive' trade meeting - USTR
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Taiwan and the United States concluded two days of "productive" trade talks in New York on Wednesday, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. The meetings were part of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, a program opposed by China, which views self-governing Taiwan as its own territory. The U.S. delegation included representatives from USTR, the National Economic Council, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Treasury, the Small Business Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration, USTR said. It includes negotiations on 11 areas of trade, including trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, anticorruption, agriculture, digital trade, labor, and the environment. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the United States has been keen to bolster support for Taiwan, especially as it faces increased political pressure from China to accept its sovereignty claims.

☆ US raises tariffs on European-built aircraft in ongoing dispute over subsidies
▼ + stars: | 2020-02-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. government on Friday said it would increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the European Union to 15% from 10%, ratcheting up pressure on Brussels in a nearly 16-year transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies. EU officials have said they want to negotiate with Washington but will not be bullied into submission. EU officials had no immediate comment on Friday's news. The WTO in October had awarded Washington the right to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion of annual EU imports in its case against Airbus. "The EU and Airbus could end these tariffs by finally complying with their legal obligations, ending these illegal subsidies, and addressing their ongoing harm.

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