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Where Did "Scientific Basis" Come From in Trade Rules?

At a Congressional hearing recently to confirm Alexis Taylor as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Taylor offered the following comments on "science-based" regulation as an international trade law principle: I think from the question of new trade deals, what I'm
Simon Lester 02 Oct 2022 2 min read

Another Thing Spiking in 2022 America: Harm to the WTO

Friends of the World Trade Organization (WTO) experienced some distress during the US government’s 2017-2020 cycle.  They did not expect American disrespect for the WTO and its rules to reach a new, much-higher watermark in the current cycle.  But that has occurred.  Responsive commentary has been curiously
John Magnus 29 Sep 2022 8 min read

DSU Article 25 Arbitration: A Long-Term Solution for the Appellate Body Crisis?

To date, proposals for the reform of WTO dispute settlement have focused on institutional improvements of the AB, as represented by the Walker proposal, or possible replacement of the two-tier adjudication with one-tier adjudication by a standing body of full-time panelists, as suggested by Hoekman and Marvroidis
Julia Qin 25 Sep 2022 4 min read

MPIA Update: Another Article 25 Arbitration Appeal Likely Coming Soon, New Dispute Sees Procedures Agreed

There are two new developments with the MPIA. First, Australia and China have agreed "to enter into arbitration under Article 25 of the DSU to decide any appeal from any final panel report as issued to the parties in dispute Australia – Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty Measures on Certain
Simon Lester 21 Sep 2022 2 min read

Enforcing the IPEF: Unilateralism and Incentives vs. Adjudication

This is from an Inside US Trade article from last week: Members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity agree on a need to pursue binding commitments, ministers told Inside U.S. Trade last week, but those commitments likely will differ from those in other trade arrangements as countries
Simon Lester 19 Sep 2022 3 min read

CfP: A deep dive into the legal world of Trade and the Environment

This call for papers comes from the co-editors of The quest for a Greener tomorrow! A deep dive into the legal world of Trade and the Environment: This book project seeks articles, essays, research papers, legislative comments or case commentaries from interested participants on the following potential sub-themes,
Inu Manak 18 Sep 2022 1 min read

China Trade Monitor Post on Banned Fish Products and USMCA

China Trade Monitor is subscriber-only, but our recent post entitled "China-Mexico Trade in Banned Fish Products under Discussion in USMCA" has a tuna-dolphin/shrimp-turtle feel to it and thus may have broad appeal, so I thought I'd open it up to everyone.
Simon Lester 15 Sep 2022 1 min read

The Latest Effort To Clarify FET and Indirect Expropriation

Over at Investment Arbitration Reporter, Damien Charlotin has a piece about a draft text developed by Germany and the European Commission to clarify the interpretation of the obligations on fair and equitable treatment and indirect expropriation in CETA. The draft text document is characterized as a "Draft Decision of
Simon Lester 12 Sep 2022 1 min read

Katherine Tai on Policy Space and Sovereignty

This is something U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai said at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event last week: There often is a tension between how international trade rules interact with our own domestic policies and regulations. International trade rules tend to discipline what countries can do and there&
Simon Lester 12 Sep 2022 1 min read

Do Appeals Have To Go into the "Void"?

Reading over some DSU provisions again, I wonder if there is an argument that appeals need not go into the "void" in the absence of the Appellate Body, at least not permanently. DSU Article 16.4 says: "If a party has notified its decision to appeal, the
Simon Lester 06 Sep 2022 7 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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