On May 12, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it has requested a review of labor practices at an automotive manufacturing facility in Mexico under the new 'Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor...more
On March 25, 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited ("MEHL") and Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited ("MEC"), Burma's two largest military conglomerates. On the same day,...more
On February 24, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) directing federal agencies to perform a 100-day review of "supply chain risks" for four classes of products: (1) semiconductors; (2) high-capacity batteries,...more
This report is the first of a series in which White & Case's International Trade Group will examine the Biden administration's trade agenda and the key institutions that shape US trade policy.
On February 25, the Senate...more
On January 25, President Biden signed an Executive Order that contemplates increasing the domestic content thresholds and price preferences for domestic goods under the Buy American Act ("BAA," 41 U.S.C. §§ 8301-8305). The...more
The election of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States will have important implications for US trade policy and the World Trade Organization. In the four years since his departure as Vice President, US...more
12/21/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Buy America ,
China ,
CPTPP ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
WTO
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) instituted a global safeguard investigation concerning imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries, pursuant to Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, on October 6, 2020. In its...more
On September 30, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (the "2020 Order") declaring a national emergency, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act (NEA, 50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), with respect to the United States'...more
On June 3, 2020, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published an interim version of the Uniform Regulations concerning the interpretation, application, and administration of key provisions of the...more
6/16/2020
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Automotive Industry ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Duty Free ,
Foreign Relations ,
Imports ,
NAFTA ,
Steel Industry ,
Trade Relations ,
Transportation Industry ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On May 26, 2020, the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“DOC”) published a Federal Register notice seeking written comments on ways to improve the exclusion process for tariffs and quotas imposed on...more
On May 1, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the acquisition, importation, transfer, or installation of certain “bulk-power system electric equipment” where the transaction involves property in which...more
5/6/2020
/ Bulk Electric System ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
National Security ,
Power Grid ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Secretary of Energy ,
State of Emergency ,
Trump Administration
Data plays a central role in the global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic through virus detection, mitigation of spread, treatments, and vaccines. Public policy responses and private sector initiatives are equally...more
4/10/2020
/ Analytics ,
Contact Tracing ,
Cooperation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cross-Border ,
Data Collection ,
Data-Sharing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Research ,
Public Policy ,
Public Private Partnerships (P3s) ,
Research and Development
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the purpose of which is to provide emergency assistance and health care responses for individuals,...more
3/30/2020
/ Agricultural Sector ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Assistance Policies ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Supplies ,
National Stockpile ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State of Emergency ,
Supply Chain ,
Supply Shortages ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
WTO
On February 4, 2020, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) published a final rule establishing a process by which DOC may treat a foreign country's "currency undervaluation" as a countervailable subsidy for purposes of US...more
2/10/2020
/ Countervailing Duties ,
Currency Manipulation ,
Duties ,
Exchange Rates ,
Final Rules ,
Imports ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Public Comment ,
Subsidies ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Undervalue Transfers ,
WTO
On January 16, 2020, the US Senate approved legislation implement the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by a vote of 89 to 10, sending the legislation to President Trump to be signed into law. The Senate's approval follows a...more
1/18/2020
/ Amended Legislation ,
Canada ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On January 15, 2020, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed "Phase One" of an Economic and Trade Agreement between the United States and China. The Phase One Agreement, which the two sides announced in...more
1/17/2020
/ Agricultural Sector ,
China ,
Currency Exchange ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Exports ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Goods or Services ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Section 301 ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Subsidies ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Transfer Agreements ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States ,
WTO
On December 2, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced its determination that France's Digital Services Tax (DST) is "unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce" and is...more
12/11/2019
/ BEPS ,
Digital Services Tax ,
France ,
OECD ,
Proposed Rules ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR ,
WTO
More than one month after President Trump’s announcement that the United States and China had reached a narrow, “Phase One” trade agreement “in principle,” negotiations to finalize the agreement remain incomplete, and...more
With just weeks remaining on the 2019 congressional calendar, a potential House vote on legislation to implement the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) remains in doubt. Negotiations between House Democrats and the Office of...more
On October 7, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published the official text of the US-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA), which will reduce or eliminate tariffs on bilateral trade in certain agricultural and...more
On October 21, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) released a Federal Register notice inviting interested persons to request the exclusion of particular products from the 15 percent ad valorem tariff...more
Following President Trump’s October 11, 2019 announcement of a “phase one” trade agreement between the United States and China (please refer to the W&C US Trade Alert dated October 11, 2019), additional details have emerged...more
On August 25, 2019, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe jointly announced that the United States and Japan have reached an agreement on core principles of a bilateral trade agreement covering...more
9/5/2019
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
CPTPP ,
Digital Marketplace ,
GATT ,
Japan ,
Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
United Nations ,
United States ,
WTO
On August 23, 2019, China's State Council Tariff Commission (SCTC) announced that China will impose additional tariffs ranging from five percent to 10 percent on approximately US$75 billion in annual imports from the United...more
On August 15, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice formally implementing an additional ten percent tariff on approximately US$300 billion in annual imports from China...more