A trade group for the Mexican steel industry, CANACERO, warned that Mexico likely will retaliate against U.S. steel exports if the U.S. reimposes 25% tariffs on Mexican steel -- and the U.S. exports much more steel to Mexico than vice versa.
The World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system should be "fully functioning" by the end of 2024, U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Maria Pagan told Reuters. Pagan made the remarks as the U.S. is heading into a third phase of negotiations with other WTO members about how to reform the global trade organization after the Appellate Body has been hobbled for years by U.S. unwillingness to seat members on the body.
The U.S. expressed some positive views on the first decision of the World Trade Organization's multiparty interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA) concerning Colombia's antidumping duties on frozen fries from various EU countries. Speaking during the Dispute Settlement Body's Jan. 27 meeting, the U.S. said it welcomes the MPIA's "willingness to adopt an interpretation" it sees as consistent with the Anti-Dumping Agreement, "even and especially if the interpretation differs from the Appellate Body's erroneous views."
The U.S. will appeal a World Trade Organization dispute panel ruling that found its origin marking requirement for goods from Hong Kong violated global trade rules. Submitting its notification of appeal during the Jan. 27 meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body, the U.S. said it was taking the matter to the defunct Appellate Body concurrent with separate panel rulings that said the Section 232 national security tariffs also violated WTO commitments.
The top trade official in the EU, Valdis Dombrovskis, said that he would talk about the changes they want to the Inflation Reduction Act during his planned meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Jan. 17. He said there have been improvements on how the tax credits for electrical vehicles will be applied, but said, "We're continuing to work on supplies and inputs into batteries and how to make some progress there," as well as other areas.
The EU this week officially opened registration for its next stakeholder event on the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council. The Jan. 31 virtual event will feature “broad exchange and information on the outcomes of the third TTC Ministerial Meeting, announced initiatives and ongoing work progress within the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council Working Groups.”
Japan's economy minister, while acknowledging that complete decoupling is possible, said that dependence on China leaves countries open to economic coercion, broken supply chains and economic insecurity.
U.S. exporters will not face barriers in exporting to the EU in the near-term, but as more products are added to the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, it could become a disadvantage under the EU's plans for a carbon border adjustment tariff.
A Mexican government account tweeted, and then deleted a tweet hailing a victory in the state-to-state dispute with the U.S. over the American interpretation of the auto rules of origin, Reuters reported. The panel's conclusions were shared last month with Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and the three countries had submitted their responses Nov. 29, according to the docket, but the report has not been made public yet.
In a briefing to members of the European Parliament, the European Commission's top trade official, Valdis Dombrovskis, said he expects the negotiations with the U.S. over the discriminatory aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act to partially, but not fully, resolve EU concerns.