International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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USTR

16 posts

The Section 301 Surge Continues: Investigating the Adoption/Enforcement/Administration of Forced Labor Import Bans

This Section 301 investigation intends to pressure all sixty named trade partners (even, inexplicably, including Canada and Mexico) to adopt similar enforcement procedures. This announcement is highly problematic for the four reasons I address below.

Lessons from the First U.S. Win in a Trade and Labor Dispute: The USMCA RRM Atento Decision

For the first time, an arbitral panel has sided with the United States in a trade and labor dispute. On August 21, the United States and Mexico announced the publication of the second panel decision under the USMCA/T-MEC/CUSMA Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM).

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Trade Deal

There is widespread speculation about trade agreements that may be coming in the next 10 days (or soon after), including their form and what they might contain. What should we expect? The most reliable rumors are that some agreements have been drafted and are likely to be announced by the

Whither the Worker-Centered Trade Policy?

The Biden administration changed U.S. trade policy significantly when it adopted a “worker-centered” trade policy that justified entering into “frameworks” and not trade agreements. That policy didn’t win many accolades from the trade crowd. Many critics felt that it forewent critical opportunities by refusing to discuss market access

USTR's New Vision for Foreign Trade Barriers

Last week, in the press release for its 2024 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, USTR said that over the years, the identification of trade barriers in this annual report has strayed from the original purpose of the statute, and that in the 2024 report it was going

The U.S. “Worker-Centered Trade Policy” is helping some workers in Mexico but not in America

This Labor Day post seeks to shed light on the Biden administration’s “worker-centered” trade policy. It argues that the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) misses a critical opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights in America. The agreement’s provisions exclude protections for the most vulnerable workers in U.S. trade

The New U.S.-Taiwan Trade Agreement and Its Approval

This post is by Kathleen Claussen & Timothy Meyer. It is cross-posted on Lawfare. On June 1, the United States and Taiwan signed a new trade deal. The agreement, which spans eight chapters and 75 pages in the English version, creates obligations for both parties to enhance trade facilitation, adopt

Trade Agreement Transparency for the New Year

This is post one of two on trade agreements in the news over the last ten days. Many will know that the president signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act in the days before Christmas. Like several recent big legislative packages, this one contains some important trade-relevant provisions. I

Assistant USTR Speaks about WTO Reform

At a symposium today hosted by the Yeutter Institute, Andrea Durkin (Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, WTO and Multilateral Affairs) said the following about U.S. views and efforts on WTO reform (I don't have any comments on what she said, just thought people might be interested): So

Forced Labor in International Economic Law: U.S. and Chinese Initiatives, and the Persistent Silence of the Exploited

In the United States, August is the time of year when professors and students scramble to get their affairs in order before the academic term. I should be doing those things. Instead (I’m not procrastinating, you’re procrastinating), I’ve decided to share my thoughts on the recent forced