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Trade
Nov 25 2020
For months, the world's attention has been consumed by the race for the White House. Little attention, however, has been paid to another important international election—that of the next director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the only entity responsible for policing global trade. With the U.S. election in the rear-view, the question remains whether the West can champion meaningful WTO reform to address China's rampant trade violations.
The global trading system has been in a state of paralysis for years. During both of his campaigns, President Trump railed against "calamitous trade deals," claiming that China's entry into the WTO was a mistake that jeopardized millions of jobs. He had reasons for concern. These include China's systematic discrimination against foreign products and producers, including the coercion of foreign firms to hand over intellectual property.
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Trade
Nov 16, 2020
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The pact is seen as an extension of China's influence in the region.
The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a rival Asia-Pacific trade pact in 2017.
President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) shortly after taking office.
Negotiations over the new RCEP deal began in 2012 and it was finally signed on Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
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Europe
Nov 10, 2020
Over the years, EU Space programmes have facilitated creation, development and adoption of many services and applications that have played an important role in managing the environmental challenges the world is facing. Another such initiative is the Horizon Green Deal 2020 which is launched by the European Commission.
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020). A part of this is the Horizon Green Deal 2020, which aims to harness the capabilities of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus for having a greener, smarter and more sustainable Europe. The Horizon Green Deal has an overall indicative budget of € 983 million.
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Trade
Nov 10, 2020
• The WTO is negotiating an international framework to facilitate investment for development.
• This effort was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
• Here are five measures that would help increase investment flows and their impact.
This week, World Trade Organization (WTO) delegates are negotiating an international framework to make it easier for investment to flow between economies and lead to sustainable development.
These negotiations have grown in substance and speed since they were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2020: Participating economies have grown to 106 from 70 over the past three years, and since March at least 11 economies have tabled new proposals.
As WTO delegates discuss what might be important measures to include, here are five provisions worth considering.
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Customs
Last Updated Nov 06, 2020
Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) is but one layer in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) multi-layered cargo enforcement strategy. Through this program, CBP works with the trade community to strengthen international supply chains and improve United States border security. CTPAT is a voluntary public-private sector partnership program which recognizes that CBP can provide the highest level of cargo security only through close cooperation with the principle stakeholders of the international supply chain such as importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers. The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 provided a statutory framework for the CTPAT program and imposed strict program oversight requirements.
A Growing Partnership
From its inception in November 2001, CTPAT continued to grow. Today, more than 11,400 certified partners spanning the gamut of the trade community, have been accepted into the program. The partners include U.S. importers/exporters, U.S./Canada highway carriers; U.S./Mexico highway carriers; rail and sea carriers; licensed U.S. Customs brokers; U.S. marine port authority/terminal operators; U.S. freight consolidators; ocean transportation intermediaries and non‐operating common carriers; Mexican and Canadian manufacturers; and Mexican long‐haul carriers, all of whom account for over 52 percent (by value) of cargo imported into the U.S.
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Covid-19
Nov 03, 2020
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A second of Mexico’s 32 states returned to the country’s highest level of alert and lockdown Tuesday after a rebound in coronavirus cases.
The state government of Durango announced that nonessential activities would be banned and parks, gyms, pools and schools will be closed.
The alert also imposes a 25% capacity limit on restaurants and hotels. The move came after cases in the northern state spiked to almost three times the number seen over the summer, and 68% of hospital beds were full.
The state of 1.7 million people has confirmed almost 15,000 cases and 873 deaths so far, though testing has been very limited. Another northern state, Chihuahua, became the first to return to red alert in late October.
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Trade
July 01, 2020
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico celebrated the implementation of a new free trade agreement with Canada and the United States that it hopes will lead to more investment in its struggling economy.
President Andrés Manuel Obrador will travel to Washington July 8-9 to meet with with President Donald Trump and recognize the achievement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada accord.
López Obrador said the accord, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, will provide greater certainty to the three countries in their commercial relationships.
Their supply chains are deeply intertwined. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was pressure from the U.S. government to allow some Mexican assembly plants to quickly reopen or remain open to cause less interruption.