On 23 September 2016, the WTO announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain has become the 93rd member of the WTO to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Bahrain’s WTO ambassador submitted his country’s instrument of acceptance to WTO Director-General on 23 September 2016. The TFA will enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO membership has formally accepted the Agreement. Bahrain’s acceptance means 85 per cent of the ratifications needed for entry into force have…
On September 14, 2016, the Ministry of Finance announced that on September 15, 2016, the tariff reductions for 201 products agreed upon for the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) at the WTO December 2015 Ministerial Meeting in Nairobi will take effect. The 201 information technology products are covered by 480 separate Chinese tariff subheadings. The agreement includes a new generation of multi-element ICs, touch screens, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, audio-visual products, medical devices and instrumentation, information technology products for the production of special spare parts and raw materials. Import duties for most products will be reduced to zero in the next three or five years. However, a small number of products will have their import duties reduced to zero over the next seven years.
On August 16, 2016, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice announcing that the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist USTR in the preparation of its annual report to the Congress on China’s compliance with the commitments made in connection with its accession to the WTO.
On 29 July 2016, the WTO announced that Afghanistan joined the WTO as its 164th member, after nearly 12 years of negotiating its accession terms. It has also formally accepted the WTO’s new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Afghanistan is the ninth least-developed country (LDC) to accede to the WTO since the organization’s establishment in 1995. Afghanistan’s accession package was approved by the Working Party members on 11 November 2015 and by Ministers at the Nairobi Ministerial Conference on 17…
On July 27, 2016, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a document providing notice [Dispute No. WTO/DS427] that on May 27, 2016, the United States requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization with the People’s Republic of China (China) concerning China’s continuing imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on chicken broiler products from the United States. That…
The WTO announced that Mexico has ratified the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in the latest signal of support for the landmark global deal. Mexico’s WTO ambassador Fernando De Mateo presented his country’s instrument of ratification to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo on 26 July 2016.
Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between
On 22 July 2016, the WTO announced that it has launched an enhanced version of its e-GPA web portal (version 2.0). This enhanced portal provides a single point of access to the market access information under the WTO’s revised Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), together with related information that the GPA parties are committed to provide. The portal serves as a market access information tool for governments, businesses and other interested parties. The announcement said —
On 18 July 2016, Viet Nam notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it initiated on 6 July 2016 a safeguard investigation on pre-painted galvanized steel sheet and strip. In the notification, Viet Nam indicated as follows:
Any request for information regarding the investigation must be submitted within 30 days after the initiation of the investigation.
Interested parties who desire to present evidence, documents and opinions pertaining to the investigation could submit evidence, documents and opinions in Vietnamese, in both computer files and hardcopy during the investigation.
On 14 July 2016, the WTO announced that Liberia had joined the WTO as its 163rd member, after nearly 10 years of negotiating its accession terms with WTO members. Liberia is the eighth least-developed country (LDC) to accede to the WTO through negotiations. The announcement said:
The 30-day countdown to Liberia’s WTO membership was activated when Liberia’s Minister for Commerce and Industry, Axel Addy, handed to the WTOthe instrument of acceptance of Liberia’s Protocol of Accession on 14 June 2016
On July 13, 2016, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced that the United States has launched a new trade enforcement action against the People’s Republic of China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning China’s export duties on nine different raw materials. When China joined the WTO, China agreed to eliminate its export duties on these products, but it has failed to follow through on this commitment. The announcement stated in part: