The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of March 30 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Steel and aluminum tariffs and the announcement of tariffs on Chinese goods are pushing the world toward a global trade war, World Trade Organization Director-General Roberto Azevedo said March 28 on BBC. But there's still time to avoid a trade war, he said, because, for the most part, countries have merely announced tariffs, not imposed them, and are negotiating. "The fact is, that when you announce certain types of measures, and others deem that those measures are not in compliance with their obligations, and threaten to retaliate, that is a problem. It is a big problem. I don’t think anybody believes this is something minor, even in the U.S. administration," he said. "People are beginning to understand, I hope, how serious this is, and the kind of impact it could have on the global economy," he said, and that's why, he thinks, the U.S. is negotiating with countries around the world to find ways to avoid imposing steel and aluminum tariffs.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of March 28 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Canada said consultations with the United States over softwood lumber antidumping and countervailing duties have been unsuccessful since they began on Jan. 17, and asked for the formation of two panels, one for CVD and one for AD duties. The request was made at a World Trade Organization meeting on March 27. The U.S. blocked formation of the panels, but according to WTO rules, it can only do so temporarily. If Canada asks for a panel at the next Dispute Settlement Body meeting, a panel will be formed to judge the dispute.
Canada's government announced changes to its customs and antidumping duty regulations to bolster customs enforcement on dumped steel and aluminum, calling the diversion of cheap steel and aluminum "a threat to Canadian jobs and the North American market." The government said the changes will be subject to a 15-day consultation in the Canadian version of the Federal Register.
China has filed a World Trade Organization complaint alleging that U.S. tariffs on steel are a safeguard measure, not a national security measure. Countries are allowed to unilaterally increase bound tariff rates for national security reasons, but safeguard tariffs are subject to review at the WTO. China formally asked for consultations on steel and aluminum March 26. "In the process of these consultations, China reserves the right to raise additional issues, make further factual and legal arguments, and pursue any other remedies provided for under the Safeguards Agreement and the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes," the notices said. The steel notice erroneously said the U.S. is putting a 10 percent tariff on steel. The tariff is 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.
The Chinese government complained that U.S. actions regarding China's intellectual property record are destroying the World Trade Organization -- calling unilateral action "fundamentally incompatible with the WTO, like fire and water." According to a Geneva trade official's summary of the March 26 debate, Japan and the European Union agreed that any trade measures against China should be consistent with WTO agreements, even as they said "they share US' concerns of the need for stronger protection of intellectual property rights and concerns over technology licensing and transfers in China."
The European Commission will open a safeguard investigation on 26 steel products, officials announced March 26, as some steel imports have been increasing over the last two years. "This trend may be even stronger now that the access to the US market has been limited and steel products from other parts of the world previously destined to the US may be redirected to Europe, disturbing the market and skewing prices." If the investigation's results support it, the EU could impose tariffs or quotas to protect its steel producers. The EU aims to complete the investigation within nine months, but left open the possibility of instituting provisional measures while the investigation is underway. The EU had earlier said it might raise tariffs on U.S. goods if the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs harmed EU producers (see 1803160026). The U.S. tariffs do not apply to the EU, but that exemption is temporary, and dependent on U.S. views on EU cooperation on trade.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of March 26 (some may also be given separate headlines):