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Joe Biden signals he has no interest in signing US-UK trade agreement
Ministers have given up on signing a trade agreement with the US before the next election, after the Biden administration signalled it had no interest in agreeing one.
AGOA – time to lock in a long-term renewal for the benefit of Africa and the US
Since May 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has provided duty-free access for a broad range of products from eligible African countries to markets in the United States (US). Since the current arrangement expires in September 2025, we take this opportunity to provide an update on AGOA.
LNG firm’s $20-billion lawsuit against Canada exposes NAFTA’s toxic legacy
A company launched a record-breaking NAFTA lawsuit against Canada — confirming the dire threat that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) poses to bold climate action.
Why is Biden endorsing corporate colonialism in Honduras?
The stakes for Honduras are not simply the billions of dollars otherwise destined for health, housing, and education. They are the very existence of Crawfish Rock: the past and future of the families who have inhabited the island for centuries.
Biden should abolish secretive corporate tribunals that bypass the law
A legal regime known as investor-state dispute settlements erode environmental regulation and increase fossil fuel industry profits.
Mexico must stand up to agribusiness oligopolies on GM corn ban
US and Canadian civil society groups are denouncing their own governments’ efforts, driven by the agribusiness industry, to repeal Mexico’s proposed ban on genetically modified corn.
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework chats expected to continue in 2024
The chief ag negotiator in the Office of the US Trade Representative says discussions on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework are expected to resume in the New Year.
US ’beginning’ internal discussions about renewing North American trade pact
We’ve just passed the halfway mark, three years, to the sixth-anniversary milestone of the new North American trade deal where countries must start meeting to discuss future changes.
AGOA isn’t the political leverage Washington thinks it is
AGOA is not a big enough economic carrot, as Washington would have the world believe, and that poses major challenges to US foreign policy going forward.
The US push for GMO corn is out to lunch
So-called “Free trade” promises lower prices and more supply, but it derails food security. Mexico has been fighting this since the United States began a dispute over genetically modified corn.
When investors subvert states
The ongoing lawsuit brought against Honduras by an American company underscores the unjust and undemocratic nature of the investor-state dispute settlement system.
Trudeau government claims victory in latest trade dispute with US over dairy
Americans argued Canada’s allocation of tariff-free dairy import permits is unfair.
Kenya’s hurdles in trade negotiations with United States
American President Joe Biden recently pledged to make Nairobi the investment magnet in Africa. For this to happen, Kenya and the United States must make considerable progress towards a bilateral trade deal under the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) framework.
US-Africa trade program must be more than ’symbolic,’ US trade chief says
The United States is looking for a "more useful and effective" trade programme with Africa, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Saturday, as talks are underway to update a two decade-old duty free initiative.
AGOA must not undermine African free trade, says AfCFTA secretary general
The secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has cautioned that trade ties with the United States should not infringe on efforts to boost regional trade on the continent.
AGOA has not addressed structural issues
IN A GLOBALLY competitive post-Covid world, fractured by geopolitics and multiple wars, the Global South and Africa face increased interest from global powers.
US, Indo-Pacific partners need to ’recalibrate’ trade talks -USTR’s Bianchi
Some countries, including Vietnam and Indonesia, rejected US demands for labor rights standards to be enforced through a dispute settlement system similar to that in the US-Canada-Mexico agreement on trade.
IPEF progress boosts diversified investment, supply chains and economic distribution
During the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Ministerial Meeting (IPEF-MM) on Nov. 14, all IPEF member countries agreed to announce the substantive completion of Pillars III (Clean Economy) and IV (Fair Economy). Pillar II (Supply Chains) had already been completed at the Second Ministerial Level Meeting in Detroit, the United States.
UK signs agreement to boost trade with Florida
The UK’s trade secretary has sought state-level accords post-Brexit but only national trade deal with US would reduce tariffs.
US commerce secretary says closed three ’pillars’ of Indo-Pacific talks
IPEF member countries have agreed on terms of the clean energy pillar and on the anti-corruption chapter.