Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Tag: trade news digest

  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 28 – November 3, 2018

    Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 28 – November 3, 2018

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development Digest for the week of October 28-November 3, 2018! We are happy to bring you the major trade and development headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    Caribbean trade officials and experts met in Guyana this week to discuss emerging trade issues, while Barbados hosted Africa, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) private sector consultations.  On the Brexit front, business leaders in the UK are calling for a new EU referendum. The EU is reportedly revising its WTO reform proposals released in September in order to gain US support.

    Please have a read of the week’s other headlines below:

    REGIONAL

    What’s at stake as EU, Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, negotiate new accord

    Devex: After years of preparation and posturing, negotiations on the new relationship between the European Union and 79 African, Caribbean, and Pacific states are finally underway. Read more 

    OECD support on economic citizenship programmes unreasonable, says OECS

    Caribbean News Now: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Authority, the highest decision-making body of the nine-member sub-regional bloc, has responded to the recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that listed five of its members for tax evasion concerns with regard their citizenship by investment (CBI) programmes. Read more 

    OECS to establish a diplomatic presence in Africa

    Searchlight: Eastern Caribbean States will soon have a strong diplomatic presence on the world’s second largest continent, Africa. This decision was made on Tuesday, during the 66th meeting of the OECS Authority, which took place in St Vincent and the Grenadines at Beachcombers Hotel. Read more 

    OECS to hold Blue Economy Seminars in Member States

    St Lucia Online: Transitioning to a Blue Economy is critical to ensuring continued economic growth in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), given that the marine space of small island states is significantly larger than their land mass and clearly a substantial asset. Read more 

    TCI needs UK letter of approval to start APIS with CARICOM

    Magnetic Media: The United Kingdom has to give the Turks and Caicos permission to continue on its path to having APIS or the Advanced Passenger Information System with its country partners in CARICOM. Read more 

    Caribbean countries discuss global trade challenges

    Commonwealth: Caribbean countries of the Commonwealth met in Georgetown, Guyana this week to deliberate on how to respond to major shifts in the global trade landscape. Read more 

    Guyana trade mission jets into Aberdeen

    Energy Voice: A trade mission from Guyana will visit Aberdeen later this month to foster business links with north-east oil and gas companies. Read more 

    Guyana/China MOU signals “unfettered” partnership in every possible area

    Kaieteur News: Finally, the APNU+AFC Government has released the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, signed with China to facilitate the infamous Belt and Road Initiative. The MOU was signed on July 27, last. Read more 

    CARICOM countries join call for US to lift embargo against Cuba

    RJR: Two days after the House of Representatives in Jamaica approved a resolution calling for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the US, other CARICOM countries have taken a similar stance. Read more 

    INTERNATIONAL

    Vietnam is winning the US-China trade war

    Foreign Policy: The facts on the ground are clear; Vietnam, once dependent on garments and other cheap exports, has begun to rival China’s tech sector. And with Asian businesspeople increasingly resigned to a protracted trade war between Washington and Beijing, firms are more eager than ever to escape tariffs by relocating to China’s smaller southern neighbor. Read more

    Pacific-Rim trade deal to kick in December

    CBC (Canada): U.S. President Donald Trump tried to kill it, but the Trans-Pacific Partnership wouldn’t stay dead. Less than two years after the U.S. withdrew from the landmark Pacific Rim trade deal it once saw as key to an Asian trade strategy, six of the remaining countries have ratified it. Read more 

    Future economy minister says Mercosur is not a priority for Bolsonaro

    Mercopress: Mercosur is not a priority, and Argentina is not a priority for the new government of Brazil, the priority is to trade with all the world. The strong statement came from Paulo Guedes, signaled as the next Finance minister of president elect Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet and a crucial player in that team since the newly elected leader has admitted a limited knowledge of economics. Read more 

    US attacks UK plan for digital services tax on tech giants 

    BBC: The US has hit back against a UK plan to impose a new tax on sales by technology giants. Read more

    US, China ‘not on the cusp of’ trade deal: White House advisor

    Reuters: The United States and China are not close to a deal to resolve their trade differences, the White House’s top economic adviser said on Friday, adding that he was less optimistic than previously that such an agreement would come together. Read more

    USTR to hold hearing in December over trade talks with Japan

    Japan Times: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hold a hearing on Dec. 10 regarding bilateral trade negotiations with Japan that Washington plans to launch in mid-January, according to the Federal Register. Read more

    Trump vows close ties with Brazil’s Bolsonaro on trade, military

    Reuters: The United States will work closely with Brazil on trade and military issues following Jair Bolsonaro’s presidential election victory, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday. Read more 

    Alibaba launched Africa’s first electronic trade platform

    Africa News: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Wednesday launched Africa’s first Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) at a special ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda. Read more 

    Critics of EU-Mercosur deal name conditions for support

    Swissinfo.ch: A coalition of Swiss farming organisations, consumers and NGOs says it is in favour of a free trade agreement between Switzerland and the four Mercosur countries: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. But it is demanding binding criteria concerning sustainability.  Read more 

    Continental free trade agreement bodes well for future of trade policy across Africa

    Business Day: On March 21 2018, 44 African countries signed the African Union’s continental free trade agreement (Acfta). The AU aims to use the agreement as a conduit for the creation of a single market and customs union on the continent, akin to the trade blocs established by the EU. Read more 

    EU-Africa trade will only blossom when all are treated as equals

    The East African: China’s use of trade and investment links to expand its influence in Africa is fuelling growing concern in some European capitals. But, instead of complaining about China’s activities, the European Union should be deepening its own engagement with the continent. Read more 

    Nigeria is set to host Africa Trade Forum 2018

    African Review: The Africa Trade Forum 2018, set to take place on 2-3 November 2018 in Lagos, will discuss the process for realising the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Read more 

    Dairy farmers ‘very disappointed’ with USMCA

    South Western Ontario:  Very disappointing was how Dairy Farmers of Ontario spokesperson Ralph Dietrich described the pending United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Read more 

    Commonwealth concerned at technological gap in trade

    St. Lucia Online: A senior official of the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat says efforts are being made to bridge the technological gap in trade. Read more

    RP-US bilateral trade agreement

    Manila Standard: As the Philippines is about to renew its bilateral trade agreement with the US, President Duterte has expressed concern that concluding a free trade agreement with the US might jeopardize our bilateral relations with China and with the Asean where we currently enjoy robust trade relations. Read more 

    India, China to undertake joint research on WTO reforms

    Economic Times: India and China Thursday agreed to undertake joint research in the areas of WTO reforms, urbanisation and frontier technologies with a view to enhancing economic cooperation between the countries, an official statement said. Read more

    Report: EU trade agreements deliver on growth and jobs, support sustainable development

    EU: According to the second annual report about the implementation of trade agreements issued today, these agreements – covering nearly 70 markets all over the world – are proving effective in removing barriers to trade and promoting high standards of labour and environment protection. Read more 

    Brexit: Relations ‘fraying’ between Britain and Ireland

    BBC: The Irish prime minister says Brexit is fraying relations between Ireland and Britain. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it had also “undermined” the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). Read more 

    Brexit: Business leaders call for new EU referendum

    BBC: More than 70 business leaders have signed a letter to the Sunday Times calling for a public vote on the UK’s Brexit deal. Read more 

    Minister Pato signs ACP administrative cooperative agreement

    ACP Secretariat: Papua New Guinea has taken steps to strengthen and deepen its Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU and other ACP states that have similar trading arrangements. Read more 

    EU Revises Plan to Fix WTO in Bid to Get U.S. on Board

    Bloomberg: The European Union is revamping its plan to reform the World Trade Organization in an effort to win support from the U.S., according to two people briefed on the process. Read more 

    Women-supporting trade policies need better data, experts say

    UNCTAD: The idea that governments around the world must support women as traders, workers and entrepreneurs to drive international commerce has been recognized in several multilateral agendas in recent years, but experts say that a data gap needs to be filled before the most effective policies can be designed. Read more 

    WTO members discuss implementation of the Information Technology Agreement

    WTO: Implementation issues concerning India and China were flagged once more at the Committee meeting. WTO members raised concerns about the import duties that India has introduced on mobile phones and their parts, which members consider to be covered by the ITA. Read more

    Panels established to examine Pakistani duties on film, Korean duties on steel

    WTO: At a meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 29 October, WTO members agreed to a request from the United Arab Emirates for the establishment of a panel to examine anti-dumping duties imposed by Pakistan on biaxially oriented polypropylene from the UAE as well as a request from Japan for a panel to examine anti-dumping duties imposed on stainless steel bar from Japan. Read more

    White House officials are pushing back on the idea that a trade deal with China is imminent

    CNBC: For a brief moment Friday, there was optimism in the market that the Trump administration was getting closer to a trade deal with China. But administration officials are telling CNBC that there is no indication of an imminent agreement. Read more 

    RCEP nations unlikely to reach agreement this year

    Japan Times: The 16 mostly Asian countries negotiating what will be the world’s largest free trade area might not be able to achieve their target of a substantive deal by the year’s end, an official source familiar with the talks has said. Read more

    Philippines, Japan eye inclusion of e-commerce

    Business Inquirer: Japan might include e-commerce under its free trade deal with the Philippines as both sides review the merits of the nearly decade-old agreement. Read more

    NEW ON CTLD BLOG

    Jamaica remains easiest place in CARICOM to do business, according to World Bank Doing Business Report 2019

    Could Promoting Bilingualism Give Caribbean Countries a Trade and Investment Advantage?

    The Caribbean Trade & Development Digest is a weekly trade news digest 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 follow our blog.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – March 18-24, 2018

    Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – March 18-24, 2018

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade and Development Digest for the week of March 18-24, 2018! We are pleased to share some of the major trade and development headlines and analysis across the Caribbean region and the World. We hope you enjoy this edition.

    REGIONAL

    CDB programme to support increased trade among CARICOM states

    St. Kitts & Nevis Observer: The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved USD$750,000 in funding for a programme that will assist the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with strengthening intra-regional trade. Read more 

    Is Guyana ready for an oil boom?

    Eurasia Review: Guyana’s story shares many similarities with the story of the ugly duckling. One of the poorest countries in South America, it has historically been entirely dependent on oil imports. Read more 

    Catfish exports

    Stabroek (Guyana): It is incomprehensible that the government here was given notification by the US government in November, 2015 of new regulations for Siluriformes (catfish) and failed to take all of the required steps to enable continued exports from Guyana. Read more 

    North America continues to dominate imports into the TCI -Gov’t makes moves to improve trade with Caribbean neighbours

    Turks & Caicos Weekly News: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) continues to dominate imports into the Turks and Caicos Islands, accounting for $394.1 million or 91.1 percent of the total import bill for 2017. Read more 

    What is the value of CARICOM to Curacao and Sint Maarten (and to ALL Caribbean nations)?

    St. Lucia Star: Earlier in March news broke that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was officially assessing the application of Curacao and Sint Maarten for associate membership. These two islands are separated by 900 km of water but they share a cultural heritage, central bank, and a view that within CARICOM a brighter future awaits them. Read more 

    Lessons from EPA must inform Post-Cotonou Agreement – Trade Expert

    Business Ghana: Mr Tetteh Hormeku, Head of Programmes at the Third World Network, has advised governments in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to use lessons from the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) for the post-Cotonou possible framework. Read more 

    INTERNATIONAL

    Forty-four countries sign historic African Union free trade agreement

    Africa News: Forty-four African countries have signed up to a historic trade agreement aimed at paving the way for a liberalized market for goods and services across the continent. Read more

    Fiji-PNG discuss trade relations with UK post-Brexit 

    Fiji Times: The United Kingdom has begun the process of exiting the European Union (EU) and in this endeavour, it is working with the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries to avoid any trade disruptions, during and post-withdrawal. Read more 

    Brexit: Government still planning for no deal scenario

    The Independent: David Davis has said the Government will continue to plan for a no-deal scenario despite reaching an agreement with Brussels on the transition period last week.  Read more 

    Mercosur “blocks” talks on auto exports and government procurement contracts, claims EU

    Mercopress: European officials said this week that significant obstacles remain to a long-delayed trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur, even as South American officials expressed optimism a deal would be finalized soon. Read more

    Heatwaves, hurricanes, floods: 2017 costliest year ever for extreme weather and climate events, says UN

    Mercopress: Hurricanes, monsoon floods and continuing severe drought made 2017 the costliest year ever for severe weather and climate events, according to a new report by the United Nations weather agency launched on the eve of World Meteorological Day. Read more 

    India Hosting Mini-Ministerial meet to break WTO impasse 

    Economic Times: Taking a lead to break the impasse, India is hosting a two-day informal meeting of 50 WTO members here which would deliberate upon ways to create a positive atmosphere for carrying forward the mandate of the global trade organisation.  Read more

    G20 pushes for free trade as U.S. vows to defend national interest

    Reuters: World financial leaders pleaded for an endorsement of free trade on Monday amid worries about U.S. metals tariffs and looming trade sanctions on China, but Trump administration officials said they would not sacrifice U.S. national interests. Read more

     

    China threatens to raise tariffs on about $3 billion of U.S. imports

    Washington Post:  President Trump embarked Thursday on the sharpest trade confrontation with China in nearly a quarter-century, moving toward imposing tariffs on $60 billion in Chinese goods and limiting China’s freedom to invest in the U.S. technology industry. The Chinese government fired back hours later, threatening to hit $3 billion in U.S. goods with tariffs. Read more 

    US and South Korea Reach Agreement on Trade, Steel Tariffs

    Bloomberg: The U.S. and South Korea reached an agreement on revising the allies’s six-year-old bilateral trade deal and President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on imported steel, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Read more 

    EU Commission welcomes adoption of negotiating directives for a multilateral investment court

    EU: The Commission welcomes today’s adoption by the Council of the negotiating directives for a multilateral investment court, as well as the fact that for the first time the Council makes its negotiating mandate public right at the time it is adopted. Read more 

    WTO members raise concerns over US tariffs on steel and aluminium at Goods Council

    WTO: WTO members expressed concern over the United States’ imposition of higher tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and the impact they may have on the global trading system at a meeting of the Council on Trade in Goods on 23 March, the same day the new US measure came into effect. The US responded by saying that the tariffs are necessary to address the threat these imports pose to national security. Read more 

    Appellate Body issues report regarding Russian duties on vehicle imports from Germany, Italy

    WTO: On 22 March 2018, the WTO Appellate Body issued its report in the case “Russia — Anti-Dumping Duties on Light Commercial Vehicles from Germany and Italy” (DS479). Read more 

    WTO issues compliance panel report regarding US countervailing duties on Chinese imports

    WTO: On 21 March a WTO panel issued its compliance report in the dispute “United States — Countervailing Duty Measures on Certain Products from China — Recourse to Article 21.5 of the DSU by China” (DS437). Read more

    Liked this issue? To read past issues of our weekly Caribbean Trade & Development Digest, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please follow our blog.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – March 11-17, 2018

    Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – March 11-17, 2018

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade and Development Digest for the week of March 11-17, 2018! We are pleased to share some of the major trade and development headlines and analysis across the Caribbean region and the World. We hope you enjoy this edition.

    REGIONAL

    Work to begin on new CARICOM Strategic Plan

    Barbados Advocate: By year end the CARICOM Secretariat will be hard at work getting the framework in place for the new strategic plan for the Caribbean Community. Read more

    CSME MER Framework Workshop 

    Barbados Advocate: It is imperative that systems be put in place to more effectively monitor and evaluate the CARICOM integration journey. So says Dr. Richard Brown, Director, CARICOM Single Market and Sectoral Programmes. Read more 

    CARICOM observer mission releases preliminary statement on Grenada elections

    CARICOM: At the invitation of the Government of Grenada the CARICOM Secretariat constituted an eleven-member team to observe Grenada’s Parliamentary Election held March 13, 2018.The full statement may be read here.

    Protecting consumers in the CSME

    CARICOM: It is important to consider the protection of the consumer as many persons now engage suppliers in a different jurisdiction. This was posited by a senior official from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat during the Barbados Fair Trading Commission’s (FTC) annual lecture series held in Barbados. Read more 

    INTERNATIONAL

    EU Lists US Exports it could hit 

    CNNMoney: The EU has published a list of hundreds of American products that it could target if President Donald Trump moves forward with new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. Read more 

    EP wants to include gender equality in free-trade agreements

    EURACTIV: The European Parliament has adopted a resolution to better account for gender equality in trade agreements. The commission could follow up on the resolution in its agreement with Chile, which would be the first to integrate such a chapter. Read more 

    India-EU trade: India, EU to decide fate of trade agreement next month

    Economic Times: New Delhi: India and the European Union will discuss next month resumption of the much-delayed Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) that hasn’t progressed much over the past five years. Read more 

    Vietnamese farmers expect higher profits with CPTPP

    Vietnam Net: At least $40 billion worth of export turnover from farm produce in 2018 is within reach, some experts believe. Read more 

    Trade deals a priority at ASEAN-Australia summit 

    Australian Financial Review: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is pushing for free trade deals with Indonesia and the wider region to be signed by the end of this year, as he insisted there were “no protectionists” around the table at the ASEAN-Australia summit in Sydney. Read more 

    Buhari cancels Rwanda trip, reconsiders signing African trade agreement

    Premium Times: President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his trip to Kigali, Rwanda scheduled for Monday. Mr. Buhari was expected to attend an Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) on Tuesday, March 21, to sign the framework agreement for establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area. Read more 

    Top five trade deals that changed history

    World Finance: Today, the global trading network is well established, but it has taken multiple decades and various trade agreements to reach the current degree of complexity. Read more 

    Jordan suspends free trade agreement with Turkey

    Ahval: The Jordanian government suspended a free trade agreement with Turkey, citing unfair competition, the Jordan Times reported. Read more

    Winners and Losers in an EU-UK agreement

    Financial Times: Read the article here.

    Indonesian President Widodo wants a free trade agreement with Australia

    Sydney Morning Herald: Indonesian President Joko Widodo will push to sign off an Australia-Indonesia free trade agreement when he meets Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this weekend, declaring that only “technical” details were delaying the deal. Read more 

    Why Canada must move quickly on the new Asian trade pact

    The Globe and Mail: Now that International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne has put Canada’s signature on the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreement, the doors to the Asia-Pacific are about to crack open for Canadian businesses. Read more 

    Severing NAFTA ties harms much more than trade

    The Hill: U.S. ties with Mexico and Canada touch the daily lives of more Americans than ties with any other two countries in the world. Trade, border connections, tourism, family ties and mutual security concerns link us closely, but we are endangering those links and our wellbeing by a contentious modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Read more 

    What impact will trade agreements have on global food markets?

    Devex: The political uncertainty surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as the implications of Brexit, has left experts struggling to understand what their impacts will have on markets — particularly in developing countries. Read more 

    BONUS

    Trade War Bad for Region

    My commentary in the Business Authority of March 18 (page 15) on the possible fall-out of any trade war between the US and other major trading powers on the Caribbean.

    Liked this issue? To read past issues of our weekly Caribbean Trade & Development Digest, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please follow our blog.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – February 11-18, 2018

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade and Development Digest for the week of February 11-18, 2018! We are pleased to share some of the major trade and development headlines and analysis across the Caribbean region and the World. We hope you enjoy this edition.

    REGIONAL

    Lack of financial transparency at CARICOM Secretariat – Golding Report

    Antigua Observer: The lack of transparency surrounding the finances of the CARICOM Secretariat has found its way into the “Golding Report,” which examines relations between Jamaica and CARICOM and CARIFORUM, with a call for the revamping of the institution’s accountability procedures. Read more

    (Caribbean) Region hits 30 million visitor mark

    CTO:  The catastrophic hurricanes that devastated some Caribbean destination last September slowed down tourism’s progress but did not stop it, according to figures released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the authority on regional tourism statistics. Read more 

    Gov’t explores new system to track and boost tourist spend

    Barbados Today: Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy has disclosed that a new system was being developed to better capture and monitor tourist spend in Barbados as Government continued to seek ways to grow the sector. Read more

    Government looks to boost CSME access for Jamaicans

    JIS: The Government will be intensifying efforts for Jamaican skilled workers and businesses to have greater access to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Read more 

    Barbados trade mission to Guyana

    CBC (Barbados): Barbados is hoping to increase its trade relations with Guyana as a 10-member trade mission opens a two-day visit here Monday. Read more 

    Holness to assume chairmanship of CARICOM

    Jamaica Observer: Prime Minister Andrew Holness is to assume the Chairmanship of CARICOM from 1st July to 31st December 2018. Read more 

    ‘Deathly afraid’ for local ownership under WTO

    Tribune242: Arawak Homes’ chairman is “deathly afraid” that WTO membership will undermine Bahamian economic ownership because many locally-owned firms cannot compete internationally. Read more 

    SLCSI introduces new executive board

    St. Lucia News Online: The Saint Lucia Coalition of Service Industries (SLCSI) is one of the twelve national service coalitions within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic (CARIFORUM collectively) and also the Caribbean Network of Service Coalitions (CNSC). Read more 

    INTERNATIONAL

    Azevêdo joins ACP brainstorming session: ‘we need to explore innovative ways forward’

    WTO: Speaking at a meeting of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) at the WTO’s headquarters on 15 February, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo urged members to be ready to explore fresh perspectives and new pathways which may help move negotiations forward at the WTO. Read more 

    Commentary: Temper expectations about RCEP free trade agreement

    Channel Newsasia: It looks like India may be dragging its feet on some key issues within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership but there’s good reason for all parties to manage their expectations, says one observer from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Read more 

    After the WTO’s Ministerial Conference, Where Next for Africa?

    ICTSD Bridges: In the aftermath of the December WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, pessimism about the future of the institution has been reaching record levels and no clear plan has emerged yet on where to take the WTO next. In this rather bleak environment, what are the possible options for African countries to advance their trade and development priorities? Read more 

    Mnuchin says Washington studying possible return to TPP through renegotiation

    The Japan Times: President Donald Trump’s administration is actively discussing the possibility of rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal on condition that the United States renegotiate it to secure better terms, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday. Read more 

    (US) House passes GSP renewal legislation

    American Shipper: The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4979 Tuesday under an expedited floor procedure, which would renew the Generalized System of Preferences program through 2020. Read more 

    ‘Big boys’ causing delays in conclusion of RCEP

    Business Mirror: The Philippines is demanding its fellow negotiating-countries in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to seriously commit to a speedy conclusion of their trade deal, as the latest round of talks still failed to progress beyond trade in goods modalities. Read more 

    Next Nafta Talks Scheduled to Start With Auto Content Rules

    Bloomberg: Rules for automotive content, one of the most contentious issues in Nafta, will be among the first tackled at the upcoming seventh round of talks in Mexico City. Read more

    Australia says yes to post-Brexit free trade agreement with the UK

    BBC: Australia say they would like to be able to negotiate a free trade agreement with the UK after Brexit. Read more 

    Trade growth to sustain momentum in first quarter of 2018, latest trade indicator suggests

    WTO: The WTO’s latest World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI), released on 12 February, suggests that the trade recovery of 2017 should continue, with solid trade volume growth in the first quarter of 2018. Read more

    BONUS

    CTO State of the Industry Outlook

    The Caribbean Tourism Organisation(CTO) held its State of the Industry 2017 and Outlook for 2018 last week. Please feel free to check out the report and other content here.

    Liked this issue? To read past issues of our weekly Caribbean Trade & Development Digest, please visit here. To receive these mailings directly to your inbox, please follow our blog.