International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Sungjoon Cho

Is the “Yarn-Forward” Rule Forwarding Free Trade?

The answer may depend on whom you ask. Indeed, against the background of the recent TPP negotiation this particular origin rule offers a unique lens through which one can investigate a complex relationship of free trade, political economy and trade regionalism. According to Lien Hoang of the Bloomberg BNA, amid

Are Bank Bailouts “Subsidies” (and Do They Violate the WTO Norms)?

Tons of money flowed from the government (tax payers’ money!) to large banks in the United States and Europe to fight against financial crises. The IMF has recently issued a report in which it calculated the size of such bailouts as well as proposed some reform agendas. Interestingly, the IMF

A COOL Decision

Today the DC Circuit vacated (per curiam) its previous three-judge panel decision on March 28 (American Meat Institute v. Dep’t of Agriculture, No. 13-5281, Slip Op. at 14, n.1 (D.C. Cir. Mar. 28, 2014), and decided to rehear this case en banc. (See also Andrew Zajac, Meat

Free Trade Is a Two-Way Street, and So Is Protectionism

Daniel Ikenson (Cato Institute) made an insightful observation in a blog post (“WTO Indictment of Chinese Export Restrictions Unearths U.S. Hypocrisy”). Here are some excerpts from his post. “During the last decade (2000-2009), four out of every five antidumping measures (79.4%) were imposed on imported intermediate goods. Over

Trade Constitution 2.0

Both Professor Howse and Simon raised an important issue in the China-Rare Earths panel report, whose full ramifications, I believe, would go beyond this particular dispute. To me, the panel’s ostensibly nebulous position on GATT Article XX denotes hermeneutical birth pangs for the “Trade Constitution 2.0.” What I

“It Always Seems Impossible, Until It’s Done”: Some Post-Bali Reflections

Finally, a happy ending! The Bali package has been delivered after a couple of serious last-minute hiccups, such as here and here. Concededly, the Bali package is subject to the typical half-full/half-empty evaluation. True, the Bali Ministerial Conference was originally designed to be sort of “rescue exercise” even at

Couldn’t We Just Deliver the Original Doha-Lite Package?

The longest trade round ever is now facing its Hamletian moment. The hard-won optimism under the new WTO leadership has recently evaporated as a thorny issue of food security remains contested. To most observers of the Doha round, the current stalemate is a frustrating déjà vu. We were in this

The Seal Panel Report: TBT Article 2.1 v. Article 2.2

The panel report on the seal case is out. http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/400_401r_e.htm Obviously, there is a lot to digest there. Let me raise just one issue. The panel ruled that the EC Seal Regime was justifiable (necessary) under TBT Article

Antidumping Measures and Global Supply Chains

Recently, domestic solar cell (module) producers in both sides of the Atlantic have redoubled their efforts to stop the influx of cheaper rival products from China. Predictably, they rely heavily on trade remedies such as antidumping measures. Of course, protectionism of this sort, in particular amid the recession, is hardly

Made-in-China Olympic Uniforms for the Team USA

This is why we need more "social marketing" for the cause of free trade. Here goes an insightful posting by Dan Ikenson (Cato Institute). http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/why-not-make-olympic-uniforms-china "If you are still not convinced of the folly of our policymakers' objections, consider this: