International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Technological Change and the Timing of GATS Schedules

One interesting part of the recent China - Publications panel report was the discussion of technological change and the timing of GATS commitments. The specific interpretive question where this arose was the following: whether China's GATS commitment on "sound recording distribution services" in Sector 2.D, covering

More on the "Right to Regulate Trade"

Following-up on yesterday's post, here's something from Tania Voon: The Panel did little to clarify the meaning of regulating trade in a WTO-consistent manner pursuant to the ‘[w]ithout prejudice’ clause. It concluded that this clause permits China to regulate goods imported into China

The "Right to Regulate Trade in a Manner Consistent with the WTO Agreement"

One of the obligations dealt with in the China - Publications report was paragraph 5.1 of China's Accession Protocol, which provides in part: 1. Without prejudice to China's right to regulate trade in a manner consistent with the WTO Agreement, China shall progressively liberalize the availability

One Side of the "Necessity" Debate

Via Todd Tucker at Eyes on Trade, I came across this discussion of "necessity" in the context of the GATS negotiations (Word doc) on Domestic Regulation (Article VI): 10. The representative of Switzerland wished to address two issues in his intervention, namely the significance of the revised text

A Change in Tariff Classification (and Rates) for Solar Panels

From the NY Times: The issue began with a short letter to United States customs officials last December from the small American subsidiary of a Spanish energy company. The subsidiary, GES USA, wanted to know what the tariff would be to import certain solar panels from China. On Jan. 9,

Paul Blustein on Improving the WTO

Former Washington Post writer Paul Blustein argues the following in Foreign Policy: Completing a reasonably ambitious Doha round would be a good start -- but only a start. Instead of pursuing more bilateral and regional deals, the world's governments should embark on new, ambitious talks under WTO auspices. Discussions

Unintended Consequences of the EU Seal Products Ban

From the Telegraph: ... Andree Garcia, the owner and chef of Les Iles en Ville, says the EU ban has been "great advertising" - and as a result has moved up seal dishes from occasional specialities to a daily regular. "Seal has become extremely popular since everybody started talking

Dual Cases on Dual Remedies

A while back, I did a post about the issue of "dual remedies" in relation to anti-dumping and countervailing duties, focusing on the DS379 WTO dispute. ("Dual remedies" might not be the best term, but that's what I used last time, so I&

Trade Complaints and the Stock Market

Apparently, the mere threat of a trade complaint is enough to affect a company's share price. Reuters reports: Shares in Elpida Memory Inc (6665.T) hit a two-month low on Thursday on fears stoked by a report that the U.S. would bring up government subsidies received

Subsidies, CVD Complaints and the Auto Industry

A recent Economist article notes: Across the world governments have lavished their ailing car firms with subsidies. Although General Motors (supported with over $50 billion of taxpayers’ money) has shed some brands and factories in America, so far not a single carmaker of any size has disappeared. One of the