A report (here) released Nov. 21 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and agribusiness intelligence firm Informa Economics IEG projects that U.S.-China agricultural trade will grow from $35.6 billion in 2015 to $106.8 billion by 2025, but asserts two-way trade in that sector could top out at $134.9 billion in nine years if both nations resolve trade barriers. The study examines “agricultural trade” in the context of traditional agricultural products, fish and seafood, forest product, and farm machinery. During a Nov. 21 chamber event highlighting the report, U.S. Chamber Senior Director for Greater China Jeremie Waterman summed up the report’s recommendations for destroying barriers, saying China should streamline biotechnology approvals, slash tariffs, and stop subsidizing local agricultural products and equipment, while the U.S. must maintain an open agricultural trade environment, address Chinese regulatory concerns and ensure import safety. The chamber released the report as Chinese officials visit Washington Nov. 21-23 for the annual meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

Dunavant Global Logistics Group acquired John M. Brining, Inc., a Mobile, Alabama, customs brokerage company, Dunavant said in a Nov. 9 news release (here). The price wasn't disclosed. Dunavant also said it opened a China-based subsidiary, Dunavant International Freight Agency, in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China.

Arduous processes in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Ghana are among the most significant customs-related issues that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should report in its 2017 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB) said in comments to USTR (here). Mexico’s April 2015 amendment to its Customs Law Rules requires that importers of record provide documents reflecting the valuation of imported goods to Mexican customs brokers by the time of importation. But the requirement demands documents that are usually issued to importers after importation, or that are confidential or “non-existent,” USCIB said. The Mexican government has delayed enforcement of the requirement five times. Several customs regulations can’t be enforced because they are “impossible to implement,” a byproduct of the Mexican tax authority’s regular crafting of regulations without industry input, USCIB said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is working with other organizations to get the final countries needed to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement “across the finish line,” it said (here). Another 15 countries must ratify TFA to meet the requirement that two-thirds of the WTO, 109 members, ratify it before TFA takes effect. The U.S. Chamber co-hosted the India-United States Workshop on Trade Facilitation in New Delhi alongside the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) to present the India-United States Workshop on Trade Facilitation, “bringing together public and private sectors to find a path forward for India’s implementation of the TFA.” The chamber is also a “proud supporter” of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a group established to promote TFA implementation (see 1512180016). “We need to get the final 15 countries across the finish line by ratifying the agreement and then working together towards implementation,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said.

The American Apparel and Footwear Association urged the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to list Alibaba Group and its “constituent platforms, including Taobao” in its 2016 Notorious Markets Report, citing a Chinese government study finding a 67 percent counterfeit rate of goods sold on that platform. In a letter to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Innovation and Intellectual Property Probir Mehta (here), AAFA Executive Vice President Stephen Lamar said his organization’s investigative monitoring of certain brands on Taobao show counterfeits surfacing in about half of the search results. “Any review of Taobao on a daily basis will find listings for dozens of AAFA member brands at absurdly low prices -- a strong indication that such merchandise is counterfeit,” Lamar said. “Our members who engage in constant monitoring of Alibaba platforms regularly and continuously report widespread proliferation of counterfeits.” USTR did not deem Taobao a Notorious Market in its 2015 report, after the company was last listed in 2012, but USTR last year noted its increasing concern about the slowness, difficulty and opaqueness of Alibaba’s intellectual property rights enforcement program (see 1512170016).

Developing countries should accede to the World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement (ITA) expansion to drive innovation and broaden international commerce, Intel said in a blog post (here). “In the long term, ITA empowers the formation of a global [information and communication technology] supply chain as participating countries benefit both from cheaper imports of components and materials, as well as from exporting finalized products,” Intel said. An expansion of the agreement covering an additional 201 products worth about $1.3 trillion per year was completed at the WTO Nairobi Ministerial Conference in December 2015. The International Trade Commission posted ITA-related changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule July 1 (see 1607050003).

As public opinion on trade shifts, CEOs will need to better sell the expected benefits of trade agreements to workers, and the deals might need to accompany proposals to reform the social safety net in order to pass Congress, private-sector officials said Sept. 28 during an event at the Council on Foreign Relations. That includes the idling Trans-Pacific Partnership, Pew Research Center Director of Global Economic Attitudes Bruce Stokes said at the event. “It seems to me some kind of reinvention of the social safety net could convince people to pursue it, because Trade Adjustment Assistance doesn’t buy union support anymore,” Stokes said. “In talking to some of the foreign policy people around Clinton … for the first time in my life, I heard them bring up the issue of the social safety net.” He said Clinton’s campaign has “taken the message” from this election season that social concerns could obstruct foreign policy actions if left-wing groups feel that they’re not being addressed.

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (here) and the Progressive Policy Institute (here) issued reports this week that, respectively, disputed certain arguments against the deal and outlined expected small-business benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Flexport, a startup with freight forwarding and customs brokerage operations, raised $65 million in new investment to help fund further expansion, CEO Ryan Peterson said in a blog post (here). The new investment brings total capital raised for Flexport, which calls itself a "freight forwarder for the Internet age," to $94 million, Peterson said. "We’re reminded everyday just how hard modernizing shipping is," he said. "Logistics is a world of exceptions and we’re surrounded by problems that occasionally seem intractable. So we’ve been fortunate to have visionary, patient investors who have continued to support us round after round." The new money will allow for additional hires and will "let us continue our rapid international expansion," Peterson said.

Livingston International purchased Affiliated Customs Brokers, a Canadian brokerage with 12 offices in the U.S., Livingston said (here). "The acquisition will strengthen Livingston's service offerings in both Canada and the U.S., adding particular strength in the Quebec marketplace," the purchaser said. "Affiliated brings particularly strong expertise in the energy, printing, pharmaceuticals, automotive, capital equipment and food industries." The purchase price wasn't disclosed.