International Economic Law and Policy Blog (Page 472)

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Trade in Everything: New Zealand Fashion

I always hear good things about New Zealand and New Zealanders. I didn't realize they were so stylish, though: New Zealand is now home to a vibrant and steadily expanding fashion industry, with some 50 established labels, up from a handful ten years ago, half of which sell

Internet Gambling: Political Developments

Two things worth mentioning on the internet gambling issue. First, here's a Congressional proposal to legalize, regulate and tax internet gambling: US Congressman Jim McDermott has introduced web gambling legislation that would collect billions of dollars in new revenues. A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates the revenues at

Venezuela to Block Colombian Trade and Investment

At its core, the Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela crisis is more about politics than economics, but we may see a direct impact on trade and investment: Venezuela is starting to block billions of dollars in Colombian imports and investment under orders from President Hugo Chavez , threatening economic havoc in both nations

China - Financial Information Services: The Complaints

The consultations requests in the China - Financial Information Services dispute are now available: EC request and U.S. request. GATS claims (XVI, XVII and XVIII) and China's protocol of accession are the focus, but there is also a TRIPS claim in the EC request. Here's a

A BLANKET EXCEPTION FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN THE DOHA ROUND?

In the latest issue of BRIDGES, Joel Trachtman makes a provocative suggestion in the context of the Doha Round, namely a "simple blanket exception stating that developing countries shall not be required to fulfil any commitment that is detrimental to their development or poverty alleviation". This blanket exception

DRAFT TEXT ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES: THE SURPRISING EXPRESSION "NOT PROHIBITED SUBSIDIES"

It is interesting to note that – in contrast to the SCM Agreement’s distinction between the set of ‘prohibited’ subsidies on the one hand, and the set of ‘non-actionable’ and ‘actionable’ subsidies on the other – the draft text on fisheries subsidies uses only the concepts of ‘prohibited’ and ‘not

Tariff Discrimination Against Poor Countries

From Ben Muse: The Progressive Policy Institute points out that: The United States Collects More Tariff Money from Cambodia than from Britain (Trade Fact of the Week, February 20): Some of our highest tariff rates are imposed on goods from some of the poorer countries. "...countries which make cheap

Bhagwati on Obama vs. Clinton

In the FT, Jagdish Bhagwati writes: The Russian proverb goes that, if you are looking for a good son-in-law, you would not ask whether he drank but only how he behaved when he was drunk. Similarly, no Democratic candidate during the primaries can be anything but a protectionist.

The China Financial Information Services Dispute Is Here

The U.S./EU complaints against alleged Chinese restrictions on financial services are now official. From USTR's press release: The United States maintains that China’s restrictions and requirements limit the ability of foreign suppliers of financial information services to conduct business in China and place them at

Something New to Demagogue About

All of this NAFTA bashing is getting tiring. Isn't there something else to demagogue about? Hey, how about this: As has been widely reported, the Air Force stunned almost everyone yesterday by deciding to award its huge, $35 billion contract for new airborne refueling tankers to a partnership