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Mixed Messages from the White House amid New Focus on Trade
The White House appears to have awoken from its year-long slumber on trade matters, but the political climate for liberalising trade in the world’s biggest national economy remains problematic. The action began on 27 January, when US President Barack Obama, addressing a joint session of Congress for his State of the Union address, highlighted trade as…
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Special Safeguard Mechanism: G-33 Rebuts Exporter Claims
Two new informal documents from the G-33 developing country group have responded to exporters’ criticisms of the proposed ’special safeguard mechanism’ - a new tool that would allow developing countries to impose additional safeguard duties on imports in the event of a surge in import volumes, or a sharp drop in prices - ahead of…
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Industrial Goods Talks Tackle Non-Tariff Barriers
With no movement on the principal sticking point in the Doha Round industrial goods talks, negotiators last week continued to inch forward on establishing new rules for addressing non-tariff barriers. WTO members remain at an impasse over the extent to which large developing countries like China and India should participate in initiatives to cut deeply or…
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International Patent Filings Drop for First Time in 32 Years
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has reported a 4.5 percent decrease in international patent filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2009, marking the first time in the PCT’s 32-year history that filings have dropped. But according to Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO, “The decline in PCT filings [was] not as sharp as…
- In Brief
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Total EU Farm Subsidies Grow Despite Drop in Production-Linked Payments
New subsidy figures from the EU show a sharp increase in total support levels, to over €90 billion in the 2006/2007 marketing year - despite a drop in production-linked payments that are deemed to distort trade. The latest official notification to the WTO shows that total EU support levels have returned to levels not seen since…
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China Sets Anti-Dumping Penalties on US Poultry Imports
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced new anti-dumping penalties on imports of US chicken products last Friday, a move likely to upset one of the few US industries that profitably exports to China. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released its preliminary ruling after investigations showed that dumping of US chicken products on the Chinese market had…
- WTO in Brief
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China Brings Anti-Dumping Case against EU in Shoe Dispute
China has requested consultations with the European Union over anti-dumping duties of as much as 16.5 percent that the 27-nation bloc has imposed on Chinese leather shoe exports since 2006. “China believes that the anti-dumping investigations and the findings made by the EU violated various obligations under the WTO, and consequently caused damage to the legitimate…
- Events
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Events
10-12 February, Madrid, Spain. BE SMART, BE SUSTAINABLE: RESTRUCTURING THE CITY OF TOMORROW. Under the auspices of the Spanish EU Presidency, EUROCITIES’ Forums on Economic Development and Environment will hold a joint event with participation of the OECD to debate how cities can rethink their role and structures in the context of the challenges of…
- Resources
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Resources
TARIFF ANALYSIS ONLINE. World Trade Organisation. This service was recently added to the WTO’s set of online tools for finding out information on customs tariffs last week. It includes a great amount of detail on the tariffs that WTO members have legally bound and the rates they are actually charging, summary import statistics, and the…