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Simon Lester

Simon Lester

Co-founder of WorldTradeLaw.net and China Trade Monitor. Non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute.

http://simonlester.com

More WTO Cases on Domestic Content Requirements for Solar Energy?

Last time, it was the U.S. challenging India. This time, it may be India challenging the U.S.: Charging Western nations with adopting double standards in their approach to climate change, Power Minister Piyush Goyal has said India file 16 cases against the US for giving protection to solar

Trade Enforcement Advisory Opinions

This is from trade lawyers John Veroneau and Shara Aranoff: Congress should expand its use of Section 332 beyond general investigations by enabling the ITC to issue Trade Enforcement Advisory Opinions regarding specific allegations of trade violations. The process would work like this: A qualified U.S. company would file

Legitimate Regulation or Disguised Protectionism: Lobster Bans

Clearly, this Swedish ban on certain U.S. lobsters is a legitimate regulation, right? Oversexed, overfed and over here: that, in a nutshell, is what the Swedes think of the American lobster from Maine, New England. It may be much sought after in restaurants but Sweden does not want the

Trade in Everything: Used Clothing

From The Economist: GIKOMBA market, just north of Nairobi’s downtown, is a place to buy just about anything. At its entrance, where ragged minibuses push their way through rutted red mud, stalls sell piles of pillows, plastic toys, cutlery and soap. But the most common wares are second-hand

Legitimate Regulation or Disguised Protectionism: Plastic Bag Bans

Clearly, this French ban on single use plastic bags is a legitimate regulation, right? As of 1 July this year, the distribution of “single-use plastic bags”, defined as bags thinner than 50 microns (0.05 millimetres), will be banned at shop tills. “And on 1 January 2017 the second

A Modest Proposal: Trade Related Interests in Gun Rights

This seems like the appropriate day* to unveil a proposal I have for a new WTO agreement on trade and gun rights. Given what is already covered by WTO rules, I don't see why it should be controversial. Recall that the TRIPS Agreement protects intellectual property rights, but

More ISDS Discussion at Cato

Last week, I mentioned an ISDS event we will be having at Cato to talk about Lauge Poulsen's new book. We also have one coming up next week entitled “Investment Treaty Reform: The European Perspective,” with Rupert Schlegelmilch, Director of Services and Investment, Intellectual Property and Public Procurement

Investment Complaints vs. Trade Complaints, by Respondent States

This chart from UNCTAD shows the top respondent states in investment disputes: And this table from WorldTradeLaw.net shows the top respondent states in WTO disputes: United States 126 EC/EU 82 China 34 India 23 Argentina 22 Canada 18 Brazil 16 Korea 16 Japan 15 Australia/Mexico 14 What,

Protection of Foreign Investors under the German Constitution

This is from the EFILA blog: It has been argued that ISDS would not be necessary between developed States. ISDS would grant foreign investors additional rights and treat them better than domestic investors. That is – at least for Germany – not correct. And that is not due to an extraordinary high

Tuna Compliance

The U.S. government has further modified its dolphin-safe labelling measure, in an attempt to bring the measure into compliance with the WTO rulings against it. Here are the various elements of the change: This interim final rule makes six amendments to the regulations, as explained below, none of