Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Blog

  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 23–29, 2026

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 23–29, 2026

    Dear Reader,

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week August 23–29, 2026!

    📌 THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    • Dominican Republic makes a reciprocal tariff agreement with the United States a top trade-policy priority.
    • Barbados and Venezuela agree to deepen cooperation in energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, trade and investment.
    • The British Virgin Islands reports early gains from its inaugural financial services trade mission to India.
    • Belize is selected to pilot a CARICOM initiative supporting industries benefiting from Article 164 protection.
    • WTO members adopt the panel report in the EU–Indonesia fatty-acids dispute.
    • Washington reportedly considers another broad round of semiconductor tariffs, with potentially significant implications for Asian technology supply chains.

    🌴 CARIBBEAN TRADE STORIES

    Dominican Republic prioritises reciprocal tariff agreement with the United States

    Presidency of the Dominican Republic: President Luis Abinader said on August 26 that securing a reciprocal tariff agreement with the United States in the shortest possible time and on favourable terms for the Dominican Republic is a government priority. Speaking at the country’s Second Investment and Nearshoring Forum, Abinader also pledged to preserve incentives available to free-zone operators and continue strengthening the investment environment. The negotiations are especially significant given the United States’ importance as an export market and investment partner for the Dominican Republic. Read more

    Barbados and Venezuela deepen economic and trade cooperation

    Government of Barbados: Barbados and Venezuela issued a Joint Declaration on August 24 identifying energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, trade and transport as priority areas for expanded bilateral cooperation. Among the commitments are increased commercial exchange in hydrocarbons, exploration of renewable-energy investment, development of protocols governing trade in meat products, agricultural investment and fisheries processing and value addition. The two countries also intend to increase tourism flows and business linkages. Read more

    BVI records gains from inaugural India financial-services trade mission

    Government of the Virgin Islands: The British Virgin Islands reported several early outcomes from its inaugural financial-services trade mission to India, which is running from August 24–31 across New Delhi, GIFT City, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Discussions with India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority covered captive insurance, fintech, investment funds and asset management, with both sides expressing interest in progressing a memorandum of understanding subject to the necessary approvals. The BVI is seeking to expand its role in facilitating Indian cross-border investment and financial services. Read more

    Belize selected to pilot CARICOM Article 164 industry-support project

    Greater Belize Media: Belize has been selected as the pilot country for a new CARICOM initiative aimed at strengthening industries benefiting from protection under Article 164 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. The 36-month project, supported by the CARICOM Development Fund, will initially focus on furniture, animal feed and turmeric. Assistance will cover research, policy development, export readiness, climate resilience, capacity building and value-chain development, with lessons from the Belize pilot expected to inform wider regional implementation. Read more

    Caribbean Airlines further adjusts regional connectivity

    CMC: Caribbean Airlines announced that it will discontinue direct Trinidad/Tobago–Barbados return services BW212 and BW213 from September 2 as part of continuing network optimisation. The airline says travellers will remain connected through alternative same-day services. The change follows other recent route reductions as Caribbean Airlines seeks to improve commercial performance, highlighting the persistent challenge that costly and limited transport connectivity poses for intra-Caribbean tourism, services trade and business mobility. Read more

    📢 STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO!

    WTO adopts panel report in EU–Indonesia fatty-acids dispute

    WTO: The Dispute Settlement Body on August 28 adopted the panel report in European Union – Anti-Dumping Measures on Imports of Fatty Acid from Indonesia (DS622). The panel found, among other things, that the EU acted inconsistently with the Anti-Dumping Agreement when it failed to use the exchange rate applicable on the date of sale for certain transactions, resulting in duties exceeding the established dumping margin. The EU now has 30 days to inform the DSB of its implementation intentions. Read more

    Madagascar launches safeguard investigation on packaging and printed products

    WTO: Madagascar notified the WTO on August 28 that it had initiated a safeguard investigation covering imports of self-adhesive labels, packaging and certain other printed products made from paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles and similar materials. The investigation will determine whether increased imports are causing or threatening serious injury to domestic producers. Interested parties have until September 12 to register and submit information. Read more

    WTO–IMF Tariff Tracker expands coverage

    WTO: The WTO–IMF Tariff Tracker was updated on August 26 with broader reporting-economy coverage and methodological refinements. The database tracks changes in effectively applied import duties by economy, trading partner and product, providing a useful transparency tool at a time when tariff measures are playing an increasingly prominent role in global commercial policy. Read more

    🌎 GLOBAL TRADE STORIES

    ASIA

    U.S. weighs another round of semiconductor tariffs

    Reuters: The Trump administration is reportedly considering a new round of broad semiconductor tariffs that could extend beyond chips themselves to technology products incorporating semiconductors, including laptops, servers and gaming consoles. One option under discussion would link tariff relief to investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. Any such measures would have major consequences for Asian chip-producing and electronics-exporting economies and could accelerate the reconfiguration of global technology supply chains. The White House said no measure should be considered final until formally announced. Read more

    EU–China trade tensions remain elevated ahead of talks

    Reuters: Trade frictions between China and the European Union remained high this week ahead of further engagement between Brussels and Beijing. European policymakers continue to raise concerns about Chinese industrial overcapacity and competitive conditions in sectors such as electric vehicles, while Chinese firms and workers face the effects of existing and potential European trade-defence measures. The dispute illustrates the growing overlap between industrial policy, economic security and traditional trade remedies in EU–China relations. Read more

    BYD export growth supports improved quarterly performance

    Reuters: Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer BYD reported its first quarterly profit increase in more than a year, helped in part by strong overseas sales. The result underscores the growing importance of export markets to Chinese EV producers as competition intensifies domestically, even as Chinese vehicle exports face increasing scrutiny and trade barriers in several major markets. Read more

    LATIN AMERICA

    Cheese names become sticking point in U.S.–Mexico trade negotiations

    Reuters: Geographical indications and the continued use of traditional cheese names by U.S. producers have emerged as a stumbling block in U.S.–Mexico trade negotiations. American dairy interests want assurances that common cheese names will remain available to their exporters, while Mexico must reconcile those demands with geographical-indication commitments made to other trading partners. The dispute shows how intellectual-property and regulatory issues are becoming increasingly important in North American market-access negotiations. Read more

    Argentina’s expanding U.S. beef exports face fresh competition

    Reuters: Argentina’s rapidly growing beef exports to the United States could face increased competitive pressure under a U.S. proposal to widen tariff-free market access to additional suppliers. Argentine beef shipments to the United States have tripled during the first seven months of 2026 and now account for nearly one-fifth of the country’s beef exports, according to the Rosario trade exchange. Expanded access for suppliers such as Brazil could alter competitive conditions in the U.S. market. Read more

    United States explores long-term access to Venezuelan oil

    Reuters: U.S. officials are working on arrangements that could provide Washington with long-term access to part of Venezuela’s oil reserves, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Any agreement could have significant implications for Venezuela’s energy exports, foreign investment and the reorientation of regional oil trade, while also intersecting with wider U.S. energy-security objectives. Read more

    AFRICA

    Ghana requires local refining of artisanal gold exports

    Reuters: Ghana’s GoldBod ordered that artisanal gold doré purchased by self-financing aggregators for export must be refined domestically from September 1. The measure is part of Ghana’s wider effort to retain more value from its mineral resources, strengthen oversight of the gold trade and increase domestic processing before export. The policy illustrates the growing use of local value-addition requirements by commodity-producing developing economies. Read more

    Kenyan traders protest higher customs-valuation benchmark

    Reuters: Small-scale traders in Nairobi protested against a new customs-valuation benchmark introduced by the Kenya Revenue Authority. The minimum reference value applied to a consolidated 40-foot container increased from 2.5 million Kenyan shillings to 3.2 million shillings. Authorities say the measure is intended to combat under-declaration and import undervaluation, while traders argue that it substantially increases clearing costs for smaller importers. Read more

    OTHER MAJOR GLOBAL TRADE DEVELOPMENTS

    Canada retaliates as trade dispute with United States escalates

    Reuters: Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs covering approximately US$20 billion in annual imports from the United States after Washington sharply increased duties on Canadian goods. The Canadian measures cover products including steel, dairy products, appliances and agricultural equipment, while Ottawa also announced assistance for affected workers and businesses. The dispute is increasing uncertainty for deeply integrated North American supply chains. Read more

    U.S. tariff threat adds uncertainty to global semiconductor supply chains

    Beyond its direct implications for Asia, Washington’s consideration of broader semiconductor tariffs could have global repercussions for manufacturers dependent on imported chips and chip-containing products. The reported proposal comes as governments increasingly use tariffs, investment incentives and economic-security rules to reshape strategic supply chains around semiconductors, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Read more

    Thank you for reading the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest, a product of the Caribbean Trade and Development blog.

    If you found this edition useful, subscribe to the Blog to ensure you never miss a weekly update.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 16–22, 2026

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 16–22, 2026

    Dear Reader,

    Welcome to our Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week August 16–22, 2026!

    📌 THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    • Guyana’s private sector raises concerns over proposed CARICOM tariffs affecting refined sugar, glass bottles, paints and varnishes.
    • The OECS, UNCTAD and ECLAC conclude an initiative aimed at improving Caribbean trade-in-services data and policymaking.
    • The Caribbean Development Bank launches a regional programme to improve the digital competitiveness of MSMEs.
    • U.S.–Canada trade negotiations collapse, triggering new 50% U.S. tariffs and planned Canadian retaliation.
    • China calls on the United States to withdraw new Section 232 tariffs on drones and related components.

    🌴 CARIBBEAN TRADE STORIES

    Guyana private sector raises concerns over CARICOM tariff measures

    Guyana Times: Representatives of Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC) and Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) have raised concerns with the Government over several CARICOM trade and tariff measures. Among the issues discussed were continued Common External Tariff (CET) waivers for extra-regional refined white sugar, a proposed 15% CET on glass bottles imported from outside CARICOM, and CARICOM’s suspension of a planned 35% CET on imported paints and varnishes pending further assessment of regional supply and demand. Read more

    OECS strengthens capacity for trade-in-services policymaking

    OECS: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, in collaboration with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), has concluded an initiative aimed at addressing longstanding gaps in trade-in-services data across the Eastern Caribbean. Read more

    CDB launches digital transformation initiative for Caribbean MSMEs

    Caribbean Development Bank: The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Small Business Association of Barbados have launched a regional initiative to strengthen the digital capabilities, resilience and global competitiveness of Caribbean micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more

    British Virgin Islands targets India for financial services exports

    Government of the Virgin Islands: The British Virgin Islands is preparing a public-private financial services trade mission to India from August 24–31 as the Territory seeks to expand its presence in the Indian market. Read more

    Barbados SMEs prepare for New York export mission

    Barbados Today: Nearly 30 Barbadian small and medium-sized businesses are undergoing an export-readiness programme ahead of a trade mission to New York in September. Read more

    Trinidad and Tobago moves to reduce dependence on imported poultry inputs

    TTT News: Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to reduce its reliance on imported chicks and hatching eggs through the proposed establishment of a large-scale domestic poultry breeding and hatchery facility. Read more

    📢 STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO!

    India seeks WTO consultations over U.S. quartz safeguard

    India has sought consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organization over Washington’s new safeguard measure on imports of quartz surface products. The U.S. measure, which took effect on August 15, establishes a tariff-rate quota with additional duties of up to 50% applying to imports above specified quota levels. Read more

    Deadline closes for registration for WTO’s 2026 Public Forum

    The deadline for registration for the WTO’s 2026 Public Forum was August 21. This year’s Forum, themed “Powering the Future,” will take place at WTO headquarters in Geneva from September 15–17 and will focus on the role of services trade as a driver of development, income, employment and economic empowerment. Read more

    🌎 GLOBAL TRADE STORIES

    U.S.–Canada trade talks collapse as 50% tariffs take effect

    Reuters: Trade tensions between the United States and Canada escalated sharply after negotiations failed to produce an agreement and new U.S. tariffs of 50% took effect on around US$20 billion of Canadian goods. Read more

    Brazil and United States move towards further tariff talks

    Reuters: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed recently imposed U.S. tariffs on Brazilian products during a telephone call on August 21 and agreed that officials should pursue further discussions. Read more

    China urges United States to withdraw drone tariffs

    Reuters: China has called on the United States to immediately withdraw Section 232 tariffs imposed on imports of drones and related components. Read more

    Vietnam says it will address U.S. transshipment concerns

    Reuters: Vietnam has said that it will continue engaging constructively with Washington over U.S. concerns about the transshipment of goods through third countries to circumvent U.S. tariffs. Read more

    India and South Korea hold latest round of talks to upgrade trade agreement

    Republic of Korea Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources: India and the Republic of Korea held the 13th round of negotiations to upgrade their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Seoul from August 19–21. Read more

    South African citrus exporters gain improved access to Indian market

    SAnews: South African citrus exporters have secured improved market access to India following the approval of additional cold-treatment options for fresh citrus fruit after almost a decade of negotiations. Read more

    South Africa and Zimbabwe seek to deepen bilateral trade and investment

    The Presidency of South Africa: South Africa and Zimbabwe used their fourth Bi-National Commission and a bilateral Business Forum this week to explore opportunities to expand trade, investment and industrial cooperation between the neighbouring economies. Read more

    Mexico challenges preliminary U.S. finding of dumping on strawberry exports

    Reuters: Mexico has expressed serious concern over a preliminary U.S. Department of Commerce determination that Mexican winter strawberry exports were being sold in the United States at less than normal value. Read more

    Argentina records US$2.1 billion trade surplus as exports rise

    INDEC: Argentina recorded a US$2.115 billion merchandise trade surplus in July 2026, supported by strong growth in exports. Read more

    Port infrastructure constrains Venezuela’s recovery in oil exports

    Reuters: Venezuela’s ageing oil terminals are emerging as a significant constraint on efforts to expand crude exports, with some tankers waiting as long as 30 days to load cargoes because of infrastructure problems, power outages and quality issues. Read more

    Colombia’s coffee exports escape major earthquake disruption, but El Niño threatens production

    Reuters: Colombia’s coffee industry has largely avoided significant disruption to production and exports following the recent earthquake in the country’s coffee-growing region, but emerging El Niño conditions are creating greater concerns for future output. Read more

    Thank you for reading the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest, a product of the Caribbean Trade and Development blog.

    If you found this edition useful, subscribe to our Blog to ensure you never miss a weekly update.

  • Beneficial Ownership Rules for Thee, Not Me: The Unequal Burden of Financial Transparency

    Beneficial Ownership Rules for Thee, Not Me: The Unequal Burden of Financial Transparency

    Alicia Nicholls

    As Barbados’ Parliament debated and passed what will become the Beneficial Ownership Transparency and Register Act 2026, strengthening the country’s framework for corporate transparency to comply with its international financial regulations, the United States (US) was moving in the opposite direction. Just a week after the Barbados bill was passed, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on August 14 brought into effect a final rule exempting US companies and persons from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act.


    FinCEN also announced that it intends to remove from its BOI database, “as much as practicable”, information that would not have been required had the new rules been in place from the beginning. This includes information relating to domestic reporting companies and US persons. However, reporting obligations remain for certain entities formed under foreign law and registered to do business in the United States, although those entities generally no longer have to report beneficial ownership information on US persons. The practical effect is to shift much of the burden of beneficial ownership transparency away from US domestic entities and onto foreign entities. This differential treatment may raise questions under the US’ commitments pursuant to the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), including its national treatment obligations. A fuller examination of those issues, however, is beyond the scope of this article.


    The main policy justification advanced for this shift is that collecting BOI from nearly all American small businesses imposes costs that are not justified by the information’s additional law enforcement value. It is therefore a regulatory burden with limited benefit. The Treasury characterises the revised system as a more targeted, risk-based approach. However, a May 2026 report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that the then proposed US domestic company exemption applies to more than 99 per cent of the entities previously required to report. It found that although most states collect some information about the officers, directors, managers or members of businesses operating within their borders, these persons are not necessarily the entities’ beneficial owners. Since what states collect varies considerably, GAO concluded that Treasury had not identified adequate actions to address the resulting gap in beneficial ownership information and recommended that it do so. Moreover, GAO also noted that this lack of transparency could make the US more attractive to criminals seeking to hide illegal activities. However, Treasury ignored this advice.


    This development made me wonder about its compatibility with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) rules. Established in 1989 to tackle money laundering from drug crimes initially, FATF is the global standard-setting body for anti-money laundering, countering terrorist financing and countering proliferation financing (AML/CFT/PF) regulation as outlined in the FATF Recommendations.

    Under Recommendation 24 and its interpretive notes and guidance, jurisdictions are required to ensure that competent authorities have timely access to adequate, accurate and up-to-date beneficial ownership information on legal persons. However, the FinCEN exemption does not automatically mean that the US is non-compliant with FATF Recommendation 24 since FATF permits jurisdictions to use different mechanisms to ensure timely access to reliable beneficial ownership information.The real test will be can US authorities, without comprehensive domestic BOI reporting, still obtain adequate, accurate and up-to-date information quickly enough through these now disparate sources? How effective will this new system be? That question is particularly timely as according to FATF’s assessment schedule, the plenary discussion for the US’ fifth round mutual evaluation report is scheduled for October 2026. The treatment of beneficial ownership under the US’ fifth round assessment will therefore merit close attention.


    By contrast, Barbados knows that the FATF Recommendations, despite the nomenclature, are far from recommendations or merely soft law. It also knows all too well what non-compliance could mean for its reputation as a global business jurisdiction and the frictions that being listed could cause for businesses engaging in international transactions. Barbados is not a FATF member, but a member of the FATF Global Network by being a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), one of nine FATF-style regional bodies. Following Barbados’ poor performance on its CFAFT fourth round mutual evaluation, FATF later placed Barbados under increased monitoring (the so-called “grey list”) in February 2020 until its removal in February 2024. Beneficial ownership information for legal entities was one of the action items Barbados had to address in order to exit the grey list.


    The US decision consequently exposes a deeper asymmetry in global financial governance. Powerful states exercise considerable influence over the development of international standards but also possess greater political and economic space to recalibrate their own participation when domestic priorities change. Small, international financial centres like Barbados have considerably less room to manoeuvre.

    This is not the first time the US has deviated from global financial transparency initiatives. In international tax transparency, the US conducts automatic exchanges of financial account information through its Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) framework rather than implementing the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard in the same manner as the more than 100 jurisdictions, including Barbados, exchanging under the CRS framework. Similarly, the US has substantially recalibrated its approach to the OECD/G20 global tax agreement. In January 2025, the Trump White House declared that commitments made by the previous administration under the OECD Global Tax Deal would have no force or effect in the US without congressional adoption. By January 2026, rather than simply adopting Pillar Two as originally envisaged, the US had secured a special “side-by-side” arrangement, allowing US-headquartered companies to remain subject to US global minimum taxes while being exempted from core Pillar Two rules.


    These examples highlight a deeper asymmetry in global financial governance: powerful countries often have greater room to reinterpret, modify or retreat from international transparency commitments, while small states face considerably less policy space, particularly where their financial sectors depend on maintaining a reputation for compliance. Unlike the WTO system, FATF contains no comparable framework of special and differential treatment for developing countries. As a result, jurisdictions are expected to satisfy common standards despite significant differences in institutional capacity, financial resources and development constraints.


    None of this is meant to suggest that Barbados should weaken its own beneficial ownership framework. After the experience under the FATF grey list and EU AML Blacklist, Barbadian policy makers and regulators are working hard to ensure that Barbados can demonstrate not just technical compliance, but also effectiveness with the FATF Recommendations so its upcoming CFATF mutual evaluation next year (2027) is a favourable one. A series of insightful articles authored by Barbadian AML expert, Louis Parris, in the local press eloquently highlights the stakes Barbados faces.

    Moreover, in principle, strong corporate transparency serves Barbados’ own interests, including in protecting the reputation and credibility of both its domestic and global business sectors. Indeed, there is a good reason why beneficial ownership information is important. Anonymous and complicated corporate structures can facilitate money laundering, and predicate crimes like corruption and tax evasion. The harder question is who bears the responsibility and the cost of providing global financial transparency? These costs will be borne by small businesses in particular which are already drowning under an ever-increasing burden of reporting requirements to ultimately, if we are being honest, to satisfy international regulators and at the pain of hefty punitive measures.


    If financial transparency is genuinely a global public good, its obligations cannot fall disproportionately on small jurisdictions with the least resources or power to shape the rules and the greatest vulnerability to the consequences of perceived non-compliance. The FinCEN decision to exempt US domestic companies from BOI reporting obligations raises once again larger questions about power in global financial governance, namely, who makes the rules, who has the policy space to retreat from them, and who is ultimately left holding the compliance bag.

    Alicia D. Nicholls, B.Sc. MSc, LLB. is an international trade specialist, with a keen interest in global financial governance and is the founder of the Caribbean Trade Law & Development Blog: http://www.caribbeantradelaw.com.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 8-15, 2026

    Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest – August 8-15, 2026

    Dear Reader,

    Welcome to our Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the week August 8 -15, 2026!

    📌THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    Belize and El Salvador signed a historic partial scope agreement!

    India and SACU have revived trade talks!

    US-Canada trade talks are heading towards a major August 19th deadline, although significant differences reportedly remain in negotiating positions.

    In case you missed it! Global goods trade remained resilient in the first quarter of 2026 despite war in Middle East, according to World Trade Organisation (WTO). See this report here.

    🌴CARIBBEAN TRADE NEWS

    Belize and El Salvador Sign Historic Partial Scope Agreement

    Government of Belize Press Office: Belize and El Salvador significantly deepened their bilateral ties this week with the signing of a Partial Scope Agreement (PSA) on August 13, 2026, and the inclusion of a Belize Trade Mission to El Salvador, comprised of key private sector representatives, including the Belize Chamber of Commerce, Government officials, and relevant trade stakeholders. Read more

    Belize Participates in Regional Dialogue on Connectivity and Trade

    Government of Belize Press Office: Belize is strengthening its engagement with Central America as countries across the region work together to improve the movement of goods and people and facilitate trade, building a more connected and competitive region. Read more

    Barbados to Host Caribbean Investment Forum 2026 as Region Unveils Bold Vision for Global Investment

    CaribExport: The Caribbean today took a significant step towards reshaping its global investment narrative with the official breakfast launch of the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) 2026 at the Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Barbados. Convening under the theme “Invest. Read more

    JBM and Ghana in Discussion to Revive Bauxite Trade

    JIS: A proposed revival of Jamaica’s long-standing bauxite trade with Ghana could generate an initial US$60 million in business. Both countries are working to strengthen economic ties through renewed cooperation in the mining sector. Read more

    JMEA President Optimistic South African Deputy Minister’s Visit Will Boost Trade Ties

    JIS: Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) President, Kathryn Silvera, has expressed optimism that the official visit of the Republic of South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Alvin Botes, will pave the way for closer commercial ties between the two nations. Read more

    🌎 GLOBAL TRADE STORIES

    Negotiators fear U.S. tariffs will be imposed, as provinces and Washington dig in on demands

    CBC: Provinces control booze bans, demand sectoral relief, but U.S. offers not enough. Read more

    Canada, U.S. far apart on tariff deal as deadline looms: sources

    CBC: Canada and the U.S. remain far apart as negotiations toward a tariff deal continue ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest deadline, according to sources. Read more

    City of London members’ slave trade links revealed

    BBC: A “leaked” report has revealed that members of the governing body of London’s Square Mile were “instrumental” in England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Read more

    India, Southern African customs bloc revive trade pact talks

    Reuters: India and ‌the five-member Southern African Customs Union signed terms of reference on Wednesday to start talks on a preferential trade agreement, as New Delhi seeks lower tariffs on exports including cars, pharmaceuticals and industrial machinery. Read more

    Trump administration to impose tariffs on drone imports, White House says

    Reuters: President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will impose tariffs on imports of drones and their components, including from some key U.S. allies, with the Trump administration saying the country was “too reliant” ​on foreign sources of drones. Read more

    Brazil opens reciprocity process against US over tariffs

    Reuters: The Brazilian government has opened a process that could result in the adoption ​of reciprocal measures against the United States ‌in response to tariffs recently imposed by Washington on the country’s goods, it said in a Thursday statement. Read more

    Thank you for reading the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest, a product of the Caribbean Trade and Development blog. If you found this edition useful, subscribe to our Blog to ensure you never miss a weekly update.

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay