International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Causes of the China Currency Detente

Assuming we are on our way to a resolution of the China currency dispute, what caused the situation to improve so rapidly, when not long ago the rhetoric was getting quite heated? Dan Drezner sets out some possibilities, along with his view: If China's shift is a real

Settlements in Cotton and the Chinese Currency Disputes?

There has been some talk of settling two big disputes, the U.S. - Cotton WTO dispute and the Chinese currency dispute. Cotton has progressed a bit further. USTR provides the following details: ... the United States agreed to work with Brazil to establish a fund of approximately $147.3 million

A Possible WTO Complaint on Credit Card Services

I had seen brief references to a WTO complaint against China related to the credit card industry, but didn't know the details. Here's the argument, as set out by Eric Grover in the Washington Times: Chinese banks have 1.88 billion debit cards and 190 million

GATT Article XII and Trade Balancing

In the comments, Jim Mathis points me to this paper by Terence Stewart and Elizabeth Drake, entitled "Addressing Balance-of-Payments Difficulties under World Trade Organization Rules". The background they provide on GATT Article XII and balance of payments issues is excellent. They pack a lot of information into a

Treasury Delays the "Currency Manipulation" Decision

As everyone has probably heard by now, Treasury Secretary Geithner announced over the week-end that he would delay the decision on whether to label China a currency manipulator. From the press release: I have decided to delay publication of the report to Congress on the international economic and exchange rate

The Impact of Currency Manipulation and Government Subsidies

In the comments, Peter Gallagher refers me to an op-ed by Greg Mankiw on Chinese currency excange rate issue. To me, the key point in the Mankiw piece is this one: Critics of China say it is keeping the yuan undervalued to gain an advantage in the international marketplace. A

DOC Evaluating Prospective vs. Retrospective Duty Systems

From a DOC federal register notice: In the conference report accompanying the 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Public Law: 111-117, the conferees directed the Secretary of Commerce to work with the Secretaries of the Departments of Homeland Security and the Treasury to conduct an analysis of the relative advantages and disadvantages

Too Neoliberal, or Not Neoliberal Enough?

Over at Eyes on Trade, Travis McArthur links to an article about Bill Clinton's views on free trade, which states: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton says the free-trade agriculture policies he supported as president were a mistake. Many critics blame these policies for contributing to Haiti'

Electric Vehicle Pricing

From the AP: Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday its new electric car will cost just over US$25,000 in the U.S., a move that could force rivals to lower prices on similar vehicles. The Leaf, a four-door hatchback due in showrooms late this year, will have a base

GATT Article I:1 (MFN) and "Conditions" for Lower Tariffs

From a recent article in The Australian: China yesterday raised the prospect of tariffs and new policies to stem growing uncertainty in its steel industry, which faces iron ore price hikes of up to 90 per cent this year. China's Commerce Ministry said yesterday it was preparing a