The U.S. government alleges that management at Mas Air, a cargo airline in Mexico City, coerced pilots to retain the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria Aeronautica, and asked pilots who had joined the Asociacion Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de Mexico, or ASPA, to resign.

India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai that he will "find a solution that addresses both countries' concerns" when it comes to India's new import licensing regime for technology imports. The new system is supposed to go into effect Nov. 1; U.S. technology companies have said it will hurt their exports to India (see 2308170028).

The Timber Working Group, a structure established in 2021 instead of tariffs after a Section 301 investigation on Vietnamese trading practices, discussed how Vietnam is keeping confiscated timber out of the commercial supply chain, how Vietnam verifies the legality of domestically harvested timber, and how Vietnam is "working with high-risk source countries to improve customs enforcement at the border and law enforcement collaboration."

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, speaking Aug. 24 to other G-20 trade ministers, said the U.S. wants to reform the World Trade Organization by improving compliance with -- and enforcement of -- WTO members' commitments, "restoring efficacy to the negotiating arm; ... equipping the Membership to address unfair practices and global market distortions, and putting the organization on the footing to promote trade policies that build resilience and address current global challenges."

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, after a meeting with European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis in Jaipur, India, said she and her EU counterpart asked their negotiating teams to hold sessions on both a global arrangement on sustainable steel and aluminum and on a critical minerals agreement "with an intensified pace."

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments that identify markets for inclusion in the 2023 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, it said in a notice. The Notorious Markets List identifies online and physical markets that are reported to engage in or facilitate "substantial copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting," the notice said. Comments also are being sought about the "issue focus" for the 2023 Notorious Markets List -- the "potential health and safety risks posed by counterfeit goods," the notice said. The deadline for submitting comments is Oct. 6. "Comments must clearly identify the market and the reasons why the commenter believes that the market should be included in the Notorious Markets List," the notice said.

Mexico said it disagrees with the U.S. government allegation that Grupo Yakazi, an auto parts factory in Guanajuato, was violating the rights of its workers. The U.S. filed the complaint in early August (see 2308070065); the Mexican Economy Secretary announced on Aug. 18 it is rejecting the complaint.

The U.S. has initiated the formation of a dispute settlement panel over Mexico's decree to not allow biotech corn for tortillas and directive to the administration to gradually substitute genetically modified corn in processed foods and in animal feed.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is soliciting comments on China's compliance with its World Trade Organization obligations. Comments and requests to testify at an Oct. 4 public hearing are due by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 20. The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. Comments may be submitted at regulations.gov using Docket Number USTR–2023-0008.

The fifth negotiating round for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will be held Sept. 10-16 in Thailand, the administration announced Aug. 10. The supply chains chapter is complete, but negotiators will be talking about trade issues, the green transition and anticorruption matters. The U.S. delegation is led by Sharon Yuan, a counselor at Commerce, and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Ellerman, whose portfolio is Southeast Asia and the Pacific.