Sunday, May 12

Global Trade

Britain Considers Joining Trans-Pacific Trade Deal
25Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Britain Considers Joining Trans-Pacific Trade Deal

June 25, 2021-The United Kingdom started talks this week to join one of the world's largest trade agreements. "The launch of negotiations marks a huge milestone in our accession process, and I look forward to talks starting in the coming weeks," Liz Truss, UK's International Trade Secretary, said. CPTPP: 11 Plus One The government announced the CPTPP talks on Tuesday with much fanfare. Japan's Yasutoshi Nishimura is leading the talks on behalf of the pact. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a trade pact with Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The 11 countries signed it in 2016 after years of negotiating. If Britain joins the 11-nation pact, the CPTPP would grow...
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Kid Gloves Come Off At US-China Meeting
22Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Sanctions, Types of News: Analysis

Kid Gloves Come Off At US-China Meeting

March 22, 2021--The kid-gloves came off at the first in-person meeting between the United States and China under the new U.S. administration. In a sign that tensions between the world's two largest economies are rising, the diplomats exchanged political punches from the beginning. They met first in front of cameras at the beginning of two-day strategic dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska. Typically, televised remarks might be a brief exchange of niceties. But , this exchange was anything but typical. It wasn't brief. And it wasn't polite. In fact, the opening remarks turned into an extended exchange of insults and condemnations between the countries' top diplomats. The United States launched the first blows. U.S. Cites Concerns on Hong Kong, Human Rights and Coercion U.S. Sec...
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Biden Hosts ‘Quad’ Virtual Conference with India, Japan, Australia
12Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Biden Hosts ‘Quad’ Virtual Conference with India, Japan, Australia

Quad Meeting Comes a Week After China Strengthens Ties with ASEAN March 12, 2021--In his first multilateral summit since taking office in January, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a virtual conference today with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia. "The Quad is going to be a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," Biden said. "The United States is committed to working with you our partners and all our allies in the region to achieve stability." The talks, known formally as the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue” since their start in 2007, are designed to strengthen diplomatic, military and economic ties among the members. While not an alliance, the informal dialogue provides a structure for the leaders to work together. During the opening statements, the leaders ...
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Biden Orders Review of Supply Chain, Promises to Increase Domestic Production
27Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Types of News: Brief, United States

Biden Orders Review of Supply Chain, Promises to Increase Domestic Production

Feb. 27, 2021--Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and consumers around the world have faced shortages of food, medical supplies and prescriptions, industrial parts, and consumer staples. Supply chain interruptions, manufacturing delays and export restrictions have all impacted the way the world trades its goods. Policymakers are taking note, and the United States is no exception. Executive Order on Supply Chains This week, President Joe Biden ordered an administration-wide review of supplies for multiple industries, including semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, critical minerals and materials, such as rare earth elements, and pharmaceuticals. "We shouldn’t have to rely on a foreign country — especially one that doesn’t share our interests or our ...
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U.S. Cites Currency Manipulation As Source of Trade Subsidy in Twist-Tie Case
25Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Cites Currency Manipulation As Source of Trade Subsidy in Twist-Tie Case

November 25, 2020--For the first time in an investigation of a trade subsidy, the U.S. Commerce Department identified China's undervalued currency as a state subsidy warranting a financial penalty at the U.S. border. On Tuesday, the department announced it is asking the U.S. Customs and Border Control to begin collecting cash deposits at a rate of 122.5 percent from importers of Chinese twist ties. The rate reflects the total amount of subsidies U.S. officials estimate Chinese twist tie exporters receive from their government. Next Steps Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. said the department would "continue to use the legal tools at our disposal to aggressively counter currency undervaluation and other unfair subsidies, further ensuring a level playing field for American businesses ...
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China’s Exports Rise, Adding to Economic Growth in 2020
8Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Economics, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

China’s Exports Rise, Adding to Economic Growth in 2020

November 8, 2020--China's foreign trade expanded 4.6 percent year-on-year in October, helping the country sustain economic growth for the year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, China's foreign trade grew by 1.1 percent in the first 10 months of the year, according to official data the Chinese government released yesterday. With exports accounting for nearly a fifth of China's economy, the export growth helped lift China's GDP by 4.9 percent in the third quarter. Export Growth Jumps in October In response to the impact of the global pandemic, the government streamlined customs procedures and provided incentives for cross-border e-commerce. Mechanical and electrical parts accounted for the largest share of the country's exports. Textile exports, which include masks, incr...
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Global Trade Shows Signs of a Comeback; US Trade Deficit Hits a High in August
7Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Global Trade Shows Signs of a Comeback; US Trade Deficit Hits a High in August

October 7, 2020-After months of a sharp decline in global trade, signs are beginning to emerge that trade and economic activity are starting to pick up, according to the World Trade Organization. One indication, for example, comes from purchasing orders by business managers. They show a sharp rebound in August after reaching record lows earlier this year. For specific numbers, look to the WTO's review of data from JP Morgan and IHS Markit. It shows the manufacturing index climbing back to its norm of 50 after a drop to 27 in April while the service sector hovered around 47., moving closer to its trend after a dip to 21.8. Sector Specific Some sectors were hit harder by the pandemic this year than others. Looking at the second quarter of the year, global trade in agriculture ...
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Shocks Disrupt Global Supply Chains, But Firms May Keep Manufacturing in China
17Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Shocks Disrupt Global Supply Chains, But Firms May Keep Manufacturing in China

August 17, 2020--Multinational companies that use complex global supply chains to produce their products might shift as much as a quarter of their production to new countries in the next five years, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. It's not the end of globalization, but "an opportunity to reinvent it," the business think tank says. Disruptions from Shocks Shocks such as COVID-19, political instability, cyberattacks, financial crises, and extreme weather due to climate change are impacting trade flows and disrupting production facilities around the world. According to a report released by McKinsey this month, shocks are rising and imposing greater risks to global companies. "Intricate production networks were designed for efficiency, cost, and proximity to markets ...
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9Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Economics, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Global Economy Faces ‘Sharply Negative’ Outlook for 2020; Partial Recovery Possible for 2021

April 9, 2020-Despite fiscal stimulus of $8 trillion by governments around the world, the global economy may turn "sharply negative" this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the International Monetary Fund. Meanwhile, experts predict massive declines in global trade and employment. "Today we are confronted with a crisis like no other," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday. "Covid-19 has disrupted our social and economic order at lightning speed and on a scale that we have not seen in living memory." The outlook is bleak for both advanced and developing economies. The IMF projects negative per capita income growth in over 170 countries this year and only a partial recovery under baseline assumptions for 2021. Georgieva emphasized that 2020 wi...
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Instability in Key Trade Route ‘Jeopardizes Trade and Energy Supplies’
22Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Instability in Key Trade Route ‘Jeopardizes Trade and Energy Supplies’

January 22, 2020-In a sign of the escalating tensions between the West and Iran, more countries are expressing support for the international coalition protecting shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea is the latest to announce a plan to send a naval destroyer to the strait. On Tuesday, the government said it is sending an independent and temporary mission to "guarantee the safety of our people and the freedom of navigation of our vessels,” according to a news report in Stars and Stripes. Iran had previously warned South Korea against joining a US-led coalition. New European Naval Mission On Monday, the governments of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal released a joint statement warning that rising instability in the...
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