Perspectives on Global Trade Policy

Earlier this month, the NAFTA negotiating teams met in Washington DC for their fourth round of talks.

On Friday, September 22, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross released two important statements in regard to the US Administration’s objective in the NAFTA talks, especially for the automotive sector.

In advance of the NAFTA renegotiations Round 3 in Ottawa, Canada, September 23-27, a number of events are taking place.

“For countless Americans, this agreement has failed.” ​​​​​​​- US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, NAFTA Press Event, Washington, DC, August 16, 2017

Planning to travel to Washington this week? Good luck finding a hotel room.

On July 17th, the Office of the United States Trade Representative circulated the Administration’s Summary of Objectives for the NAFTA Renegotiation, a statutory prerequisite of US Trade Promotion Authority.

Arent Fox has learned that the Office of the US Trade Representative announced it will hold a public hearing on June 27 to discuss next steps for NAFTA renegotiations. This will follow a public comment period that will end on June 12.

This morning, in a letter dated May 18, 2017, the United States Trade Representative sent to Congress the long awaited formal notice that the Administration intends to enter into re-negotiations with Mexico and Canada. This signifies that the NAFTA renegotiations have been formally launched.

On March 31, 2017 President Trump signed two Executive Orders aimed at fulfilling his campaign promises on “fair trade.”

Trump has vowed to renegotiate NAFTA and scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the flagging Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. But there has been virtually no discussion of how a Trump administration would address and enforce anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders.

The Office of the US Trade Representative on Friday, August 12 submitted to Congress the president’s draft Statement of Administration Action. The submission is necessary for US ratification and implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Last week, the International Trade Commission issued its report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s overall impact on US trade.

New provisions in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 arm the government with new enforcement tools that rights holders can use to bolster intellectual property right (IPR) protection, especially for semiconductor components.

On Wednesday, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) released its economic assessment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, predicting small rises in US employment, GDP, and exports as a result of the agreement over the next 15 years.

On April 26, 2016, United States Steel Corporation filed a massive trade case accusing Chinese steel producers and their distributors of conspiring to fix prices, steal trade secrets and use false labeling to avoid trade duties.

At long last, after two plus years of debate, last week the Senate finally passed the Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2015 (2015 Trade Enforcement Act).

International trade events continue to occur at break neck speed. The Toronto International Auto Show takes place later this week, on the heels of the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) in New Zealand.

Detroit business leaders understand the value of product innovation and market expansion. For many of these executives, the official release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in November signaled a new opportunity of export growth in a region quickly becoming a consumer powerhouse.

In this episode of Fashion Counsel, Partner Anthony Lupo talks with former Senator Byron Dorgan, Senior Policy Advisor in the Government Relations practice.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has informed a US district court that it may not be proposing regulations requiring energy and mining companies to disclose payments to governments for the extraction of natural resources until spring 2016.

Iran and the United States, along with Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany announced that they have reached an agreement on the key parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Iran nuclear program in exchange for the termination of certain sanctions.

The US National Contact Point recently issued a Final Statement regarding complaints by two international labor unions that Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) engaged in conduct inconsistent with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines).

The long-awaited final Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) provisions modifying the Human Trafficking regulations were published on January 29, 2015.

Many companies and other stakeholders have chosen to participate in the United Nations (UN) Global Compact as a means of demonstrating their commitment to integrating universal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles into their business practices.

In 2014, the Departments of State and Commerce implemented final rules that overhauled 11 United States Munitions List (USML) Categories. These changes have affected a wide range of industries.