On May 18, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice that the Parties to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) intend to hold the first meeting of the Environment Committee (Committee) virtually, on June 17, 2021. Following the government-to-government meeting, the Committee will hold a virtual public session. The Office of the USTR will accept comments on suggestions for topics to be discussed during the Committee…
On May 14, 2021, USTR announced that Ambassador Katherine Tai will host the inaugural Free Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on May 17-18, 2021. Mexican Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier, and Canada Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, will attend the virtual meeting. The USMCA modernized the trading relationship between the three countries for the 21st century. The FTC is the first step toward realizing the…
Action by USTR marks the first use of the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism On May 12, 2021,the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the United States has asked Mexico to review whether workers at a General Motors (GM) facility are being denied the right of free association and collective bargaining. The request is the first time any country has used the novel Rapid Response Labor Mechanism in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USTR and…
On 19 April 2021, the UK Government announced that the UK and Serbia signed a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement to ensure £682m trade can continue and grow between the two countries. The announcement said: The Agreement secures continued preferential trade access between the UK and Serbia with significant savings for business to support jobs and the wider economy. It also sets out how the two countries will strengthen political, economic, security and cultural ties,…
Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that on 9 April 2021, Singapore deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN and became the first country to complete the official process for ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. It is understood that China, Japan and Thailand completed their domestic procedures to approve RCEP, but apparently have not deposited their instruments of ratification with ASEAN. RCEP is the world’s largest free trade agreement and…
Global Affairs Canada announced that the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA) entered into force on April 1, 2021 – preserving preferential market access for both Canadian and UK businesses. Resources: The full text of the Canada-UK TCA may be found here.A Joint Interpretative Instrument. Statement by Canada and the UK interpreting the Canada-UK TCA provisions.Chapter summaries – Chapter-by-chapter guide to the Canada-UK TCA key provisions.Economic Impact Assessment – Assessmentconducted by the Office of…
In the March 13, 2021, Canada Gazette, Global Affairs Canada announced a consultation soliciting the views of Canadians on possible bilateral trade agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK), as well as on the UK’s request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The announcement gave some background: In 2019, the UK was Canada’s third-largest destination for merchandise exports worldwide. Two-way merchandise trade amounted to $29 billion, making it Canada’s fifth-largest…
On February 19, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register a notice [Docket No. USCBP-2021-0006] that the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The meeting will be open to the public via webinar only. There is no on-site, in-person option for this quarterly meeting. The webinar link and conference number will be provided to all registrants by 5:00 p.m. EDT…
The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has released the 2021 Preliminary Edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the US (HTS or HTSUS). The preliminary edition is available as a full-document download or a chapter-by-chapter download. The 2021 Preliminary HTS includes: changes proclaimed by the President on December 22, 2020, in proclamation 10128 which made changes including (1) in the AGOA program, (2) the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and (3) changes to specific tariff rates;particular…
On January 6, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice of its determination of the trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products of Chile, Morocco, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia and Panama. The level of a country’s trade surplus in these goods relates to the quantity of sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products…