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Lighthizer on Whether Tariffs are Going Anywhere after 2028

This is an exchange in a recent conversation between former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Gerald Butts of the Eurasia Group:  Butts: And just to be clear about this, because I think it's a really important point, and this is one point we definitely agree on:
Simon Lester 29 Jun 2026 1 min read

A law of many meanings: Exchange Actions under the GATT and IMF

Earlier this week, Simon Lester posted about the EU’s concerns with the undervaluation of the Chinese currency. He situated the recent demands for trade restrictions against a longstanding debate about the function of GATT Article XV:4.
Mona Paulsen 25 Jun 2026 8 min read

Recent Calls in the EU To Address Chinese Currency Undervaluation

An important element of the piece by Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser that I talked about in my last post was their argument that the EU should address Chinese currency undervaluation.
Simon Lester 22 Jun 2026 3 min read

Does The EU Need Its Own Section 301 To Counter China's Distortions?

Recently, economists Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser suggested that the EU may need its own version of Section 301 in order to "confront China’s systemic distortions beyond piecemeal trade defence."
Simon Lester 17 Jun 2026 7 min read

Call for Submissions - Trade, Law and Development

This is from the Trade, Law and Development journal: The Journal is now inviting unpublished manuscripts for publication of its 18th Special Issue (Vol. 18 No.1) titled "Reimagining Global Trade: Industrial Policy and Strategic Autonomy in a Changing Global Order". Submissions are welcome in the form of
Simon Lester 17 Jun 2026 1 min read

A Sudden Surge of Safeguard Investigations

I don't follow domestic safeguards investigation that closely, but I had been noticing some coming out of places that don't do them very often (e.g., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand), so I wondered if there has been an overall increase in these measures.
Simon Lester 15 Jun 2026 2 min read

Call for Papers: Brooklyn International Business Law Scholars Roundtable

This is from Irene Ten Cate, the co-director of the Block Center for the Study of International Business Law at Brooklyn Law School: 📢 Call for Papers! The Block Center for the Study of International Business Law at Brooklyn Law School invites scholars to submit proposals for the 2026 International
Simon Lester 11 Jun 2026 1 min read

Tracking Exports under Trump: Country Comparisons

In a previous post, I noted that one of the reasons some traditionally pro-trade members of Congress may be supporting Trump's trade policies is because they are hoping these aggressive policies will pry open foreign markets and lead to increased U.S. exports of agricultural and other products.
Simon Lester 11 Jun 2026 2 min read

The IMF vs. Greer on Budget Deficits and Trade Deficits

In a recent piece published on the IMF website, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer argues that "[t]rade theory must catch up with tariffs, industrial policy, and the costs of globalization." There's a lot to discuss in there, but I'm going to focus
Simon Lester 10 Jun 2026 4 min read

Is State Capitalism Coming to AI?

U.S. government ownership of AI companies would trigger an industrial policy competition, and would be a bad idea in and of itself.
Simon Lester 07 Jun 2026 3 min read

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Why Section 338 Does Not Work in a GATT/WTO World: Lessons from Trade Law History

On July 21, 2026, President Trump exercised his authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (hereinafter Section 338) to impose the maximum amount of additional tariffs (fifty per cent) on Canadian cars, alcohol, and dairy, owing to his determination of Canada’s discriminatory treatment of US exports.
23 Jul 2026 10 min read

EU WTO Reform Proposal Seeks To Extend Accession-Based State Enterprise Rules To All Members

In a new WTO reform paper entitled "Further Reflections on Disciplines, Subsidies and Industrial policy," the EU argues for stronger WTO disciplines on the behavior of state enterprises.
17 Jul 2026 5 min read

Governments Make Their Case Against Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs

Last month, USTR made a determination in its Section 301 investigation into "Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure To Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced With Forced Labor."
10 Jul 2026 5 min read

How Should the EU Get Tough with China? Unilateral Action vs. WTO Complaints

I've seen several recent calls for the EU to get tougher in its economic relations with China, along with arguments that it has been too slow to act against the Chinese economic threat.
06 Jul 2026 4 min read

Trump Administration Decides Not To Extend USMCA for Another Term: What Does That Mean Exactly?

Today, as part of the first joint review of the USMCA, the three governments held a virtual meeting.
01 Jul 2026 4 min read

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