Dear International Trade and Investment Committee Members,
Here are the international trade and investment articles and publications of interest for the week of June 23 to June 29. Andrew Lanouette has curated this week’s edition. Andrew is International Trade Counsel at Cassidy Levy Kent in Ottawa, practising in the areas of international trade law and public procurement. He is also the Co-Chair of the International Trade and Investment Committee.
News
- South Africa might be strike-plagued, on the brink of recession and refusing to sign any foreign investment treaties these days, but it will remain the linchpin of Canada’s economic strategy on the African continent, International Trade Minister Ed Fast says.
- China and Australia, which have been trying to set up a bilateral free trade agreement for years, are determined to sign a deal by the end of this year, Australia's trade chief said on Tuesday after talks with Chinese leaders.
- Tea Party Republicans want to shutter the Export-Import Bank. Would American companies suffer if the government didn't lend an occasional helping hand?
- Buy American provisions are back, and the Canadian government is sounding off in frustration. Canada staged an intervention this week over new allegations of U.S. protectionism, with federal officials producing a list of fresh grievances during a meeting at the World Trade Organization.
- Canada’s economy started the year with a whimper, dragged down by bad weather and an even worse U.S. economy. Two key economic releases this week will provide a clue whether the rest of the year is any better – gross domestic product for April on Monday and merchandise trade for May on Thursday.
- The Harper government’s vaunted free trade agenda is either a roaring success or hopelessly stalled – and given that government officials aren’t commenting, even experts in the field are having trouble deciding which.
Government Announcements/Press Releases
- The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) has notified the WTO Secretariat on 25 June of a request for consultations with Canada over provisional and definitive anti-dumping measures imposed by Canada on imports of carbon steel welded pipe (CSWP) originating in, among others, the Separate Customs Territory.
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper today welcomed the signing of the remaining chapters of the European Union (EU)-Ukraine Association Agreement in Brussels, Belgium. These chapters provide for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Ukraine. He also welcomed the signature of EU Association Agreements with Moldova and Georgia and the granting of EU candidate status to Albania.
- The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (the Tribunal) today initiated an expiry review of its finding made on March 23, 2010, in Inquiry No. NQ-2009-004, to determine if the continued or resumed dumping and subsidizing of oil country tubular goods from the People’s Republic of China are likely to result in injury.
Commentary
- America’s economic engine needs a jump start. Everyone agrees on that much. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that U.S. production shrank 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2014, while corporate profits tumbled 9 percent from last year’s numbers. One way out of this would be to give President Obama more power.