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Obama Trade Agenda Cites ‘Imbalance’ in Doha Talks, Urges Focus on Environment, Labour Standards
The Obama administration will push to “correct the imbalance” in the Doha Round trade talks at the WTO and strive to incorporate stricter requirements on labour and the environment in pending and future US trade deals, according to a trade agenda that was released by the new US leadership on Monday. The 467-page document, available here,…
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Obama Budget Calls for Deep Cuts to Agribusiness Subsidies
US President Barack Obama has called for cutting billions of dollars of farm subsidies over the next decade as part of efforts to rein in growing budget deficits in the face of increased government spending. The new administration’s budget proposal, released last week, would phase out so-called direct payments, which are made on the basis of…
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ASEAN Pushes for Deeper Integration, Signs FTA with Australia, New Zealand
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed a free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand and announced plans to accelerate progress toward an EU-style trading bloc at an annual summit in Thailand last week. Gathering at the Thai beach resort Hua Hin from 27 February to 1 March for ASEAN’s 14th summit, leaders from the…
- In Brief
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EU Approves Duties on US Biodiesel Imports
Looking to support their struggling biodiesel producers, European governments voted Tuesday to impose temporary anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on imports of US biodiesel. Twenty of the 27 EU governments that took part in the informal vote on Tuesday supported the anti-subsidy duties, while 17 governments voted in favour of the anti-dumping tariffs. Only Belgium, Denmark and…
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Senior US House Members Push for Trade Reforms
A prominent group of US congressmen has outlined how they would like the Obama administration to move US trade policy forward. The plan is outlined in a letter that was sent to President Barack Obama on 26 February. The letter describes several areas the congressmen feel are in need of reform, including the US position…
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EU, South Korea Inch toward FTA
Officials from South Korea and the European Union are meeting in Brussels this week in an attempt to work through controversies over auto trade and rules of origin that have slowed progress toward the finalisation of a free trade agreement between the two trading partners. Although some European countries have expressed concerns about the deal,…
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Obama Names Former Governor Gary Locke to Commerce Post
Former Washington Governor Gary Locke is US President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Commerce Department, the White House announced last week. Accepting the nomination Wednesday, Locke vowed to “harness the resources and the talent of the Department of Commerce” to help the administration fulfill its “commitment to the American people to build a stronger…
- WTO in Brief
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Lamy Hopes to Conclude Doha Deal This Summer
World trade ministers could gather to conclude the Doha Round of trade talks before the WTO’s summer holiday, which starts 1 August, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said during a visit to Australia on Wednesday. “What I hope is that before the summer break there will be a window of opportunity to bring them back,” Lamy said,…
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China Renews Calls to Avoid Protectionism, Proposes WTO Oversight
The international community should resist protectionism during the economic crisis and the WTO should take an active role in ensuring that national stimulus packages are not used to promote solely domestic interests, China’s commerce minister said last week. Speaking in London on Friday, Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming proposed that the global trade body could…
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SPS Committee Continues Private Standards Debate
WTO Members are slowly moving forward in their examination of the use of private sector standards in international trade, but the issue remains controversial, as developing countries continue to argue that import requirements set by private actors penalise their exports. The WTO’s Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures considered the issue, hearing various Members’ perspectives,…
- Events
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Events
10-11 March, Geneva, Switzerland. EXPERT MEETING ON MAINSTREAMING GENDER IN TRADE POLICY. This meeting of experts will discuss the impact of trade policies on gender by presenting cases where trade liberalisation has been associated with rising employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women, as well as cases in which trade liberalisation has exacerbated existing gender inequalities…
- Resources
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Resources
NEGOTIATION AND GLOBAL INFORMATION ECONOMY. By J. P. Singh, February 2009. This book explores the conditions under which negotiations matter and the ways in which diplomacy is evolving in the global commercial arena. The author argues that where there is a diffusion or decentralisation of power among global actors, diplomacy can be effective in allowing…