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AG Chair Plans New Paper To Spur Discussions, But Is Worried Negotiators Losing Hope
The chair of the troubled WTO negotiations on agriculture told delegates on 23 March that he hopes to present them with a new paper in mid-April that could serve as a focus for future discussions. Ambassador Crawford Falconer (New Zealand) has also acknowledged that there was a risk that Members might simply give up on…
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US Democrats Unveil Trade Policy, Days Before Key Deadline
Congressional Democratic leaders on 27 March unveiled a set of policy principles that they want incorporated into several pending free trade agreements (FTAs), as well as the country’s broader trade agenda. In return for their votes in Congress, Democrats are seeking to modify the US model for FTAs - and…
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US PROPOSAL CALLS FOR MAJOR CUTS TO COMMERCIAL FISHING SUBSIDIES
The US on 21 March launched a far-reaching proposal to modify international trade rules to prohibit most government subsidies to commercial fishing, in an effort to halt the depletion of marine life globally. The US is currently seeking input on the proposal from delegates and it has already elicited complaints…
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China Subsidy Consultations Fail To Ease Trade Tensions With US, Mexico
A first round of WTO dispute settlement consultations last week appears to have produced little conciliation on what the US and Mexico allege to be a range of Chinese investment and tax rules that illegally encourage industrial exports and discriminate against imported goods. When initiating dispute proceedings against China on…
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EU Banana Import Rules Challenged Again, This Time By Colombia
The EU is facing a second WTO challenge to its banana import rules after Colombia last week initiated a dispute against them, claiming that the duties and quotas maintained by Brussels were discriminatory and in violation of its multilateral commitments. Colombia’s 21 March request for consultations, the first step in…
- In Brief
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In Brief
US-MALAYSIA FTA WILL MISS END-MARCH DEADLINE Hopes of completing a free trade agreement between the US and Malaysia by an end-March deadline were finally abandoned last week when Washington acknowledged it was no longer possible. The two sides had originally hoped to conclude a deal in time for the Bush administration to be able submit it to…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
AID FOR TRADE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS FOR FIRST TIME WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy’s newly-minted advisory group on Aid for Trade met for the first time on 19 March to discuss the role the institution should play in coordinating and monitoring trade-related assistance. Creating this ‘ad hoc consultative group’ was one of the recommendations of the Task Force…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Upcoming : 29 March - 4 April 29 March, Washington, DC. TEXTILE TRADE POLITICS: UNRAVELING THE LOOSE THREADS. The Washington International Trade Association will…
- Resources
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Resources
EU AND US SAFEGUARDS AGAINST CHINESE TEXTILE EXPORTS: WHAT CONSEQUENCES FOR WEST AFRICAN COTTON-PRODUCING COUNTRIES? By Claire Delpeuch, Groupe d’Economie Mondiale Policy Brief, March 2007. The phase-out of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing in 2005 should have boosted Chinese textile production and demand for cotton imports, raising the world price of cotton. However, the…