Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Category: Trade

  • Caribbean Trade and Development News Digest – September 6 – 12, 2020

    Caribbean Trade and Development News Digest – September 6 – 12, 2020

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week of September 6-12, 2020! We are pleased to bring you the major trade and development news headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    The third phase of the race to select the next World Trade Organization Director-General commenced this week. Read this write-up from IISD here. The WTO’s Trade Policy Review Body has released its list of remaining reviews for 2020. The OECS-WTO Members are on the provisional list for 2021, which was also released.

    The United Kingdom (UK) and Japan signed the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement this week, making it the UK’s first post-Brexit trade deal. The UK government has also made a major step towards joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

    In the meanwhile, UK-EU talks on a post-Brexit trading arrangement remain fraught with tension, with increased pessimism about an orderly split. The latest drama is the Boris Johnson government’s Internal Markets Bill introduced and given its first reading in the House of Commons on September 9. If passed, it would unilaterally override the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU and be in violation of international law.

    This week, the US House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee held a hearing to consider the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) which expires at the end of September. The witness testimonies and the recording from the hearing may be viewed here.

    REGIONAL

    Caribbean Countries Call for Implementing Urgent Solutions to Support Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

    ECLAC: Authorities from more than 25 countries met with ECLAC and other multilateral organizations at the Caribbean Development Roundtable and the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee. Read more

    Barbados to woo luxury travel market

    Barbados Today: Government is embarking on a tourism recovery plan with industry partners that will see the island going after more business from the luxury travel market segment. Read more

    Dominica to launch entrepreneur visa with 2-year path to citizenship

    Investment Migration Insider:In a press release issued today, Roseau-based Advance Global Partners announces it is partnering with the government of Dominica to implement a new Entrepreneur Visa program under which those who invest from US$50,000 and spend three months a year in the country would qualify for naturalization in two years. Read more

    Canelle Farms GM speaks on issues in exporting agricultural produce

    Loop St. Lucia: The general manager of Canelle Farms, a company that exports agricultural produce to several Caribbean islands, has explained some of the challenges such a business is facing. Read more

    US Secretary of State to visit Guyana

    Stabroek: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to visit Guyana on September 17-18, according to well-placed sources. Read more

    Some local SME’s can benefit from Caribbean Export/EU COVID-19 grants

    Stabroek: Guyana is among several countries, member states of the Caribbean Export Development Agency that can access a newly developed Direct Supports Grant facility launched by the Agency in collaboration with the European Union (EU) that will enable business enterprises CARIFORUM member countries to access funding that will help them respond to the impact of the pandemic on their businesses. Read more

    INTERNATIONAL

    COVID-19: Shipping data hints to some recovery in global trade

    UNCTAD: The number of ships pulling into ports to unload and load containers rebounded in many parts of the world in the third quarter of 2020, according to new UNCTAD calculations. This offers a hopeful sign for world merchandise trade, which suffered a historic year-on-year fall of 27% in the second quarter. Read more

    Trump Threatened Then-WTO Chief With U.S. Withdrawal, Book Says

    Bloomberg: President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw the U.S. from the World Trade Organization during a contentious phone call with the group’s then-leader, according to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward. Read more

    Biden’s hands may be tied on Trump’s China tariffs, trade experts say

    CNBC: “Damaging,” “reckless” and “disastrous” are some of the words Joe Biden has used to describe tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on allies and rivals alike. He may keep some in place anyway if he is elected president of the United States in November. Read more

    Who will be the Biden trade czar if he wins in November?

    Reuters: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is tapping some of the most experienced trade professionals in Washington to help chart a new course on trade if he is elected. Read more

    US, China trade barbs and blows via ASEAN

    Asia Times: In a shot across China’s bow, Southeast Asian nations expressed their concern over disputes and militarization in the South China Sea by openly welcoming a greater role for the US in the maritime region. Read more

    Canadian tariffs on U.S. products coming within days

    CBC (Canada): Canada will retaliate within days against American aluminum tariffs, with plans to announce a series of counter-tariffs early next week. Read more

    Canada urged to halt trade talks with Brazil due to Amazon deforestation

    Global News: The federal government is being urged to halt trade talks with Brazil after another summer of record-breaking fires in the Amazon rainforest. Read more

    Here’s what it means to be a WTO Developing Country

    Bloomberg: President Donald Trump says it’s not fair for China to receive preferential trade benefits as a developing nation at the World Trade Organization. Trump’s argument is that China — the largest economy in the world after the U.S. — should not enjoy the kind of preferential trade treatment that’s really intended to bolster much poorer nations. It’s “one of the reasons they’ve taken advantage of us,” Trump told attendees at the Economic Club of New York. “We’re considered the big, fat cow. And no longer.” Read more

    WTO leadership race seen as hostage to U.S. election

    Reuters: The World Trade Organization’s effort to select a leader entered a new stage this week as ambassadors from 164 member countries met with senior officials for private ‘confessionals’ to say who they support. Read more

    UK signs first major post-Brexit trade deal with Japan

    BBC: The UK has struck its first major post-Brexit trade pact after signing a deal with Japan that aims to boost trade between the countries by about £15bn. Read more

    Brexit: PM defends planned changes to Withdrawal Agreement

    BBC: Boris Johnson has urged MPs to support a bill which modifies the Brexit deal he signed with the EU in January. The PM said the Internal Markets Bill would “ensure the integrity of the UK internal market” and hand power to Scotland and Wales. He also claimed it would protect the Northern Ireland peace process. Read more

    Brexit: Lords could block PM’s plan to override withdrawal deal

    Sky News: As well as fury from European capitals, the PM has also angered those within his own party ahead of parliamentary votes. Read more

    Withdrawal Agreement: Brexit plans break international law by giving UK right to interpret deal with EU, minister admits

    iNews: The Government will break international law with new proposals to change the meaning of the Withdrawal Agreement, a senior minister has admitted. Brandon Lewis confirmed that legislation published on Wednesday will override part of the Brexit deal agreed last year, but insisted the breach would be “very specific and limited”. Read more

    Brexit: Trade talks hang in balance as UK rejects EU ultimatum

    BBC: Talks over a trade deal with the EU are hanging in the balance amid a stand-off over the UK’s plans to override part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Read more

    UK takes major step towards membership of Trans-Pacific free trade area

    Gov.uk: The UK has taken a major step in the process of joining CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), one of the world’s largest and most dynamic free trade areas.International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, alongside the current chair of the CPTPP Commission, Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Márquez, opened discussions between senior UK trade officials and Chief Negotiators from all 11 members of the Partnership to discuss potential UK accession. Read more

    U.K. must lower expectations in post-Brexit negotiations with Canada: trade experts

    iPolitics: Existing trade standards with Britain will continue once the Canada-U.K. agreement expires at the end of the year, but the U.K. will need to lower its expectations for a future deal with Canada, say trade experts. Read more

    UK-Canada trade deal back in focus as talks restart

    City AM: Hopes of securing a post-Brexit free trade deal with Canada were given a boost today after trade secretary Liz Truss announced the UK had kickstarted discussions. Read more

    Ireland set to lose key trade portfolio after European Commission reshuffle

    Euronews: Ireland looks set to lose the EU’s key trade portfolio after a shake-up in Ursula von der Leyen’s top team. Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis has been chosen to replace Ireland’s Phil Hogan as EU trade commissioner, who resigned last month. Read more

    Pelosi warns ‘no chance’ of US-UK trade deal if Brexit violates international treaty

    CNN: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has warned that Britain will be unable to secure a trade deal with the US if it does anything to undermine the treaty that brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of violence. Read more

    Senator Rubio urges U.S. commitment to trade deal with Taiwan

    Focus Taiwan: Washington, Sept. 10 (CNA) United States Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday called on the U.S. State Department to send a high-ranking official to visit Taiwan as a demonstration of its commitment to negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). Read more

    New USMCA trade deal could increase demand for nearshoring in Mexico

    Freight Waves: Cross-border trade flows in North America will prosper as USMCA settles in, according to speaker at CBP symposium. Read more

    France calls on EU to adopt digital tax in 2021 if OECD talks fail

    City AM: France has called on the European Union to implement a digital tax by the first quarter of 2021 if an agreement cannot be reached within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) framework. Read more

    China-US trade slightly declines amid tensions

    Anadolu: China’s bilateral trade with the US has declined slightly in the last eight months, while expanding with the EU and Japan, state-run media reported Monday. Read more

    Mukhisa says planned Kenya-US trade deal unfavourable

    The Star: In an exclusive interview with the Star, the UNCTAD head, said the US market is already open for Kenyan products under the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) that expires in 2025. Read more

    ‘AfCFTA will resolve trade conflicts on the continent’ – Ghana’s Amb. to China

    Ghanaweb: Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng believes that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will present numerous opportunities to the continent and resolve petty trade disagreements amongst countries. Read more

    Africa Should Use AfCFTA As Template for Trade Negotiations – Osinbajo

    AllAfrica: As African countries brace up for the effective implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, one of the many ways by which the continent can maximize its benefits is to ensure that trade negotiations with the rest of the world be based on the free trade agreement rather than deals separately endorsed by regional economic blocs, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. Read more

    Is Covid-19 fueling the ecommerce surge in Singapore?

    iPrice: While Covid-19 has caused major disruptions in Singapore, many ecommerce players in the country stand to benefit.The sector received a surge in transactions for both essential and discretionary items in the past few months as the pandemic forced most people to stay at home, according to a study conducted by iPrice Group. Read more

    Egypt-Brazil sales up 74% with Mercosur agreement

    Brazil-Arab News Agency: The Egypt-Mercosur free trade agreement had its third anniversary on September 1st. Since it became effective, exports from Brazil to Egypt climbed 21.1%, according to the National Confederation of Industries (CNI). Read more

    Mercosur accord contradicts EU Green Deal and fails to protect communities, study says

    The Irish Times: The upcoming trade agreement between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – the Mercosur bloc – “fails across sustainability criteria and stands in direct contradiction to the goals of the European Green Deal”, according to an international group of researchers. Read more

    Ratification of EU’s Mercosur trade deal runs into more problems

    Irish Examiner: EU plans to push ahead with ratification of the Mercosur trade deal have been derailed.October was the target for the trade deal text agreed by the European Commission and Mercosur to be sent for approval by the EU Council, the European Parliament, and by EU national parliaments. Read more

    Argentina/Brazil Bilateral Trade in First Eight Months Declines 20.5 Percent Year-on-Year

    Rio Times: South America’s second largest economy was Brazil’s fourth trade partner behind China (including Hong Kong and Macau), the European Union and the United States. Read more

    Mauricio J. Claver-Carone Elected IDB President

    Barbados Today: Mauricio J. Claver-Carone was elected President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) today during an electronic meeting of the Bank’s Board of Governors. Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

    NEW ON THE CTLD BLOG

    The Caribbean Trade & Development Digest is a weekly trade news digest produced and published by the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog. Liked this issue? To read past issues, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please subscribe to our Blog below:

  • OECS States on WTO’s provisional list of trade policy reviews for 2021

    OECS States on WTO’s provisional list of trade policy reviews for 2021

    Alicia Nicholls

    The World Trade Organization Members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS-WTO Members) are among the WTO Members currently on the global trade watchdog’s provisional list to undergo trade policy reviews in 2021. The OECS-WTO Members are the independent States of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

    The Trade Policy Review mechanism is a key aspect of the WTO’s monitoring function. All WTO members are subject to this exercise which reviews each Member’s trade and trade-related policies at defined intervals according to its share of world trade. The four members with the largest shares of world trade (which are at present the European Union, the United States, China and Japan) are reviewed every three years. The next sixteen largest Members are reviewed every five years. The remaining Members, including the OECS-WTO Members, are reviewed every seven years respectively. The OECS Member States were last reviewed in 2014, which means they are due for their next review in 2021. A report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Members’ Government(s) serve as the basis for review.

    The TPR agenda for 2020 had to be significantly revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a WTO news item, more than twenty WTO Members, some of whose trade policy reviews were postponed this year, are on the provisional TPR list for 2021. In addition to the OECS-WTO Members, the list also includes Argentina, Bahrain, China, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tonga, the United States, and Viet Nam, as well as the joint reviews of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) —Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic and Chad. According to the WTO news item, the final list will be determined by the Trade Policy Review Body within a couple of weeks.

    A communication released this week showed that several Members’ TPRs scheduled for 2020 have been postponed, and further confirmed that for the remainder of 2020, the following four Members will be reviewed: Zimbabwe (30 September and 2 October), Thailand (24 and 26 November), Indonesia (9 and 11 December) and Macao, China (15 and 17 December).

    To read the WTO news item, please see here:

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B is an international trade and development specialist. Read more of her commentaries here or follow her on Twitter @licylaw. All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may from time to time be affiliated.

  • US House to hold Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership (CBTPA) Act Hearing this week

    US House to hold Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership (CBTPA) Act Hearing this week

    Photo credit: Image by Phillip Roulain from Pixabay

    Alicia Nicholls

    This week, September 10, the United States (US) House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing to consider the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) which expires at the end of this month, that is, September 30, 2020.

    The CBTPA, which took effect on October 5, 2000, is one of the constituent pieces of legislation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative providing beneficiary Caribbean countries with duty-free access to the US market for a wide range of goods.

    The CBTPA provides expanded preferences for originating goods from Caribbean beneficiary countries beyond what is included in the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA). For example, it provides duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) treatment for apparel assembled in CBI countries from US fabrics formed from US yarns and cut in the US. It also provides a ‘regional fabric’ benefit by providing DFQF treatment for
    certain knit apparel made in CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics formed in the Caribbean Basin region once that the fabric is formed from US yarns.

    Moreover, it provides ‘NAFTA-parity’, that is, tariff treatment equivalent to that extended to Mexican goods under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (replaced by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement – USMCA), for certain goods that were not included for duty-free treatment under the CBERA.

    Only a subset of CBERA beneficiaries are eligible for the enhanced benefits under the CBTPA. Several defined political, legal and other criteria restrict the US President in which Caribbean countries or territories could be designated as CBTPA eligible. According to the Thirteenth Report to Congress on the Operation of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, the current CBTPA-eligible countries and territories are Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

    The CBTPA has been renewed by Congress several times. A further CBTPA renewal will ensure that those exporters in the Caribbean which rely on this preferential access to the US market will continue to do so. According to the Thirteenth Report to Congress on the Operation of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, the US imported $US 344.4 million in goods under the CBTPA in 2018, a 0.2% increase from in 2017. Total US imports under the entire CBI programme were $US 1,031.3 million in 2018, while total US imports from CBI countries (including non-CBI programme imports) were US$6,020.1 million that same year.

    The hearing on the CBTPA renewal will be held remotely and can be watched via live stream on September 10 here.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B is an international trade and development specialist. Read more of her commentaries here or follow her on Twitter @licylaw. All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may from time to time be affiliated.

  • Caribbean Trade and Development News Digest – August 30 – September 5, 2020

    Caribbean Trade and Development News Digest – August 30 – September 5, 2020

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week of August 30-September 5, 2020! We are back from our vacation hiatus and happy to once again bring you the major trade and development headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    So what has happened while we were on break? The term of World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General (DG) Robert Azevedo ended on August 31, 2020 following his announcement in May that he would be stepping down from the post a year early.

    The race for his successor is heating up and each of the candidates is making the rounds trying to make the case for why he or she is the best candidate to head the beleaguered WTO.

    The US and EU came to an agreement in which the EU will eliminate tariffs on imports of U.S. live and frozen lobster products and the US will reduce by 50% its tariff rates on certain products exported by the EU worth an average annual trade value of $160 million. Read the full joint statement here.

    The WTO has issued a call for papers for its new WTO Trade Economist Thematic Award. Trade experts at universities in developing countries are invited to submit case studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade and trade policy. The deadline is September 30, 2020. Read more here.

    This week, the US House Ways and Means Committee will hold a remote hearing to consider the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA).

    REGIONAL

    AAFA, trade bodies urge USTR to support CBTPA renewal

    Fibre2Fashion: The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) along with a dozen other trade bodies recently urged US trade representative Robert E Lighthizer to support Congress to renew the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) as soon as possible. The act, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on May 18 this year, is set to expire on September 30. Read more

    UNCTAD 15 to benefit Barbados

    Barbados Today: Barbadians are set to reap benefits from the upcoming United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 15 scheduled to take place next April. Read more

    Barbados to open embassy in Ghana

    Nation News: Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic, announced on Monday that Barbados has established an embassy in Ghana and the opening is scheduled for October. Read more

    Important Issues for CARICOM SIDS Highlighted at Ministerial Round Table

    Barbados Today: His Excellency Simon Stiell of Grenada has shared a number of important issues for CARICOM Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to be addressed as COP26 approached. The issues were shared with the Incoming COP President and his team at a Ministerial Roundtable between CARICOM Ministers and the Incoming President of the 26th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 26), on Thursday 27th August 2020. Twelve CARICOM Ministers attended the meeting. Read more

    Development Bank of Jamaica to assist medium-sized companies through innovation grant fund

    Jamaica Observer: The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has embarked on the implementation of a new product, the Innovation Grant Fund, to provide financial support for medium-sized companies looking to introduce or expand innovative processes, products, and/or services. Read more

    Belize to export another 241 head of cattle to Mexico

    Вrеаkіng Веlіzе Nеwѕ: ВВN hаѕ соnfіrmеd thаt ѕоmе 241 hеаd оf саttlе hаvе bееn lоаdеd іntо thrее truсkѕ іn thе vіllаgе оf Вluе Сrееk, Оrаngе Wаlk Dіѕtrісt, аnd аrе оn thеіr wау fоr ехроrt tо Мехісо. Read more

    BelizeINVEST is calling all invest service providers to join its new network

    Breaking Belize News: ВеlіzеІNVЕЅТ, а unіt оf thе Веlіzе Тrаdе аnd Іnvеѕtmеnt Dеvеlорmеnt Ѕеrvісе (ВЕLТRАІDЕ), іѕ саllіng оn іnvеѕtmеnt ѕеrvісе рrоvіdеrѕ асrоѕѕ Веlіzе tо јоіn ВЕLТRАІDЕ’ѕ Іnvеѕtmеnt Ѕеrvісеѕ Nеtwоrk (ВІЅN). Read more

    INTERNATIONAL

    Brexit: PM sets 15 October deadline for EU trade deal

    BBC: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to say that if no agreement on trade between the EU and UK can be reached by 15 October both sides should “accept that and move on”. Read more

    UK Government announces new Board of Trade

    Gov.uk: The Department for International Trade has today (Friday 4 September) announced its new advisers to the Board of Trade, comprising of senior figures from business, academia and government. Read more

    Tony Abbott: Ex-Australian PM appointed UK trade adviser

    BBC: Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been appointed as an unpaid trade adviser to the UK government. Boris Johnson rejected claims Mr Abbott was not suitable for the role, despite criticism over past comments on women, LGBT people and climate change. Read more

    Brexit: This week is ‘moment of reckoning’ for UK-EU trade deal with two sticking points remaining – Raab

    Sky News: David Frost, who will lead the UK’s post-Brexit trade talks, will meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in London next week. Read more

    United Kingdom to quit Brexit trade-deal talks if no agreement with European Union by October 15

    ABC (Australia): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned Britain could walk away from post-Brexit trade talks with the European Union within weeks ahead of the next crucial round of discussions. Read more

    US trade deficit soars to 12-year high

    The Hill: The trade deficit in July spiked 18.9 percent to $63.6 billion, the highest since July 2008 during the Great Recession, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday. Read more

    As WTO Members Prepare to Name a New Chief, We Must Remember the Lessons of Years Past

    IISD: It has now been seven years since the World Trade Organization (WTO) saw its top leadership position change hands and, as expected, who will be the next head of the Geneva-based institution has become the talk of the trade community. Read more

    As Roberto Azevêdo Jumps Ship from WTO to Pepsi, What Legacy Does he Leave Behind?

    The Wire: Azevedo has claimed success on issues like a Trade Facilitation Agreement aimed to cut through delays in trade. But on his watch, the WTO also failed to conclude the Doha Development Agenda. Read more

    WTO Outlines Relationships between Cross-border Mobility, COVID-19, and Global Trade

    IISD: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has issued an information note that articulates how temporary border closures and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have affected goods and services trade. Read more

    Lacalle Pou says EU-Mercosur deal ‘advances’ but not at ‘expected speed’

    Buenos Aires Times: Uruguayan leader’s comments just the latest in a series indicating that momentum for the accord has slowed. Read more

    Low-Key EU Player’s New Job May Help Sell Mercosur Deal

    Bloomberg: A month before he resigned as European Union trade commissioner over an Irish coronavirus controversy, Phil Hogan made a much less publicized job announcement: appointing the first person to police the bloc’s slew of commercial agreements with the rest of the world. Read more

    Brazil/Argentina spat over non automatic import licenses delaying Mercosur bilateral trade

    Mercopress: Brazil expressed its disenchantment with the Argentine policy of delaying the approval of the so-called nonautomatic import licenses which has seen millions of dollars in sales held at the border. This situation has been increasing in recent months, in what is considered a breach of bilateral accords in the framework of Mercosur agreements, and the World Trade Organization, WTO, rules. Read more

    Top envoy says US preparing tighter oil sanctions on Venezuela

    Al Jazeera: US President Trump has ramped up sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA, its key foreign partners and its customers. Read more

    Taiwan and US move closer to Bilateral Trade Agreement

    Nikkei Asian Review: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen addressed one of the primary irritants in the U.S.-Taiwan trade relationship last week by relaxing regulations on pork imports containing the steroid ractopamine. Read more

    Japan and Britain delay agreement on post-Brexit trade pact

    Japan Times: The Japanese and British governments stopped short of reaching a broad accord on a new bilateral trade deal on Friday, citing the need for further negotiations on how to handle Japanese tariffs on British blue cheese. Read more

    Africa: Duty-Free Imports Sought by U.S. Apparel Makers Would Vitiate Africa Trade – Agoa Coalition Warns Congress

    AllAfrica: The following letter was sent by the Agoa Action Coalition to the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade Earl Blumenauer (Democrat-Oregon), as well as the chairman of the full committee, Richard Neal (Democrat-Massachusetts) and ranking Committee member Kevin Brady (Republican-Texas), and ranking Trade Subcommittee member Vern Buchanan (Republican-Florida). Read more

    Africa Trade Pact’s Architects Seek to Help Offset Tariff Losses

    Bloomberg: Architects of an Africa-wide free-trade area are in talks with the African Export-Import Bank to set up an adjustment facility to offset revenue losses for countries that lower cross-border tariffs, according to the zone’s most senior official. Read more

    Turkey’s push to win over the Maghreb: The gateway to Africa

    The Africa Report: For several years, the Turks have been working to strengthen their ties with Algiers, Tunis and Rabat. This strategy is all the more crucial since Recep Tayyip Erdogan has engaged his country on several fronts in the region. Read more

    Covid-19 hits East African agri value chains

    African Business: As the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) kicks off on September 8, agriculture and food security will take the spotlight. While agriculture provides food and income security to more than half of the population in developing countries, the opportunities are mostly low paying with poor working conditions. Read more

    Pacific island countries band together to increase export quality

    EIF: Trade ministers in the Pacific approve the region’s first strategic framework on Quality Infrastructure. Read more

    India’s  virus  woes hit imports more than its exports

    Livemint: Between Apr and Jul, the goods imports have fallen by 46.7% to $88.9 bn. In comparison, goods exports during the same period have fallen at a much slower pace of 30.3% to $74.9 bn. Why have exports fallen at a much slower pace than imports? Mint takes a look. Read more

    India-Bangladesh trade halts after exporters allege corruption

    The Telegraph: Disruption in the trans-border trade for 2 consecutive days has resulted in a loss of nearly Rs 20 crore. Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

    NEW ON THE CTLD BLOG

    The Caribbean Trade & Development Digest is a weekly trade news digest produced and published by the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog. Liked this issue? To read past issues, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please subscribe to our Blog below: