Trade ministers meeting at the World Trade Organization in Geneva agreed to a partial solution to harmful subsidies for fishing fleets, an intellectual property waiver for Covid vaccines, and to allow sale of commodities to the World Food Program even if the product is otherwise subject to export restrictions. The countries that attended the ministerial conference also agreed to extend the moratorium on tariffs on electronic transmissions.

Mexico announced that it will examine whether the Panasonic Automotive Systems plant in Reynosa violated the rights of its workers (see 2205180061) under the provisions of the USMCA.

The US-EU Trade and Technology Council needs to limit its ambitions if it is to be successful, said Tyson Barker, head of the Technology and Global Affairs Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations, during a Washington International Trade Association webinar May 13.

Russia plans to soon ban exports of certain commodities and raw materials, The Wall Street Journal reported March 8. President Vladimir Putin will give his cabinet two days to come up with goods subject to the ban, which Russia said will help ensure “the security of the Russian Federation and the uninterrupted functioning of industry,” according to the report. The export ban is expected to last until Dec. 31.

"China has conducted a full, comprehensive and in-depth study and evaluation of the content of the agreement. China is willing to make efforts to fully meet the CPTPP rules and standards through reforms, and to make a high-level commitment to opening up in the field of market access that exceeds China's existing contracting practices, so as to provide members with market access opportunities with huge commercial interests," a Chinese spokesperson said at a press conference, according to a translation from Professor Henry Gao. CPTPP is the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Gao said this shows "the Chinese application is serious and its accession is closer than many people might think."

The Ambassador Bridge reopened Feb. 14 just after midnight, after protesters blocked the main exit and entrance of the bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit for six days, Canadian press reported. A few hours earlier, the White House said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had spoken with their Canadian counterparts about the issue that day. Auto plants in Michigan shut down temporarily because of the disruption.

A World Trade Organization panel said the U.S. International Trade Commission made numerous errors as it laid the groundwork for a safeguard tariff on large residential washing machines and parts, a tariff that is still in place for entries above the quota. The tariff is currently 14% within the quota threshold for washers and 30% on parts and washers above the quota threshold.

The rapid response mechanism of USMCA overturned the initial union election at the General Motors pickup truck plant in Silao, Mexico, and despite Democrats' concern that the election would also be marred by intimidation (see 2201280018), workers overwhelmingly chose an independent union. The AFL-CIO issued a statement that said: "Together, in a democratic union, workers will advocate for higher wages and improved health and safety standards at the Silao facility, helping to set new standards in the automobile industry. The election itself set a hard-won precedent and came only after workers voted to throw out a previous contract that had poor benefits and was negotiated without the workers’ input. Workers overcame gross intimidation and election meddling, and their triumph is an example of what happens when workers stand together. This vote represents a rejection of the past and a new era for Mexican workers’ right to associate freely."

Although concluding negotiations on subsidies that contribute to overfishing may seem like a long shot, since 21 years has not been long enough to reach agreement, World Trade Organization Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard said there is an eagerness among many member country delegations to get it done. She acknowledged that developing countries' desire to claim "special and differential treatment" under the body's rules to curb overfishing does cause dissension. But, she said, "it's important to show we can do this."

Canada's Trade Minister Mary Ng said she told Canadian softwood lumber industry leaders that ending U.S. duties on their products "is a top priority for the Government of Canada. U.S. duties on softwood lumber are unfair." Ng said she spoke with the U.S. National Association of Home Builders and other stakeholders, as well as members of Congress and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai during a recent visit to Washington, and told them all that Canada wants "to discuss ways to reach a mutually acceptable resolution on this matter." Years ago, the U.S. and Canada had a tariff rate quota system that adjusted so that as prices rose beyond a certain threshold in the U.S., more Canadian lumber imports were allowed under the quota.