The USTR has requested a Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) panel under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to resolve a labor dispute at call center operator Atento Servicios, S.A. de C.V. .    At the conclusion of its 45-day review period, Mexico found a denial of rights had existed, but determined that Atento Servicios had taken the necessary actions to remediate the denial of rights during Mexico’s review period. The United States disagrees with this determination and is requesting establishment of an RRM panel to review the situation.

The Feceral Maritime Commission seeks responses on what data elements are communicated between transportation service providers and importers/exporters. The Commission also seeks information on how changes to information …

U.S. Department of Commerce and TSMC Arizona  a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $6.6 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act.

Six decades after the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established to defend developing nations' role in global trade, Rebeca Grynspan, the organisation’s secretary general, said that the time has come for its image to be refreshed. Sitting behind a blue hard-copy mockup of the agency’s new name, UN Trade and Development, Grynspan told journalists Tuesday the rebrand “represents a stronger and renewed organisation”.

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Chair Erica Y. Williams announced a record $25 million fine sanctioning KPMG Netherlands for widespread improper answer sharing and the firm's multiple misrepresentations about its knowledge of the misconduct.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich) is urging the Administration to protect the US automotive sector from the China’s expansion of auto exports by hiking tariffs on Chinese vehicles. “The influx of low-cost Chinese vehicles backed by the CCP poses a threat to the US automotive sector,” Rep. Dingell and eight other members wrote in a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The Administration is calling on Congress to give it additional tools to prevent terrorist groups and other malign actors from using crypto-currencies to circumvent US sanctions. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo told the Senate Banking Committee last week that the Administration needs “additional tools to protect the American people.”

President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida avoided directly saying whether they discussed Nippon Steel’s proposed $14 billion purchase of the US Steel Corporation during a joint press conference, The proposed sale is currently under review by the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and anti-trust regulators.

Legislation to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade preferences program has been introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho). The African Growth and Opportunity Act Renewal and Improvement Act of 2024 would provide a long-term extension of AGOA, along with improvements to the program’s eligibility criteria.

In a joint action with UK officials, the Treasury Department issued two new prohibitions to disrupt the revenue that Russia earns from its export of aluminum, copper, and nickel.  This new action prohibits the import of Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel into the US and UK, and limits the use of Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel on global metal exchanges and in over-the-counter derivatives trading.

Global goods trade is expected to pick up gradually this year following a contraction in 2023 that was driven by the lingering effects of high energy prices and inflation, WTO economists said in a new forecast on 10 April. Notably, digitally delivered services have shown significant resilience and growth, totaling US$ 4.25 trillion in 2023, a 9% increase from the previous year and representing 13.8% of global exports. These services have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels by more than 50%.

Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 11 entities to the Entity List .Five of the eleven entities are Russian and PRC entities were added for actions related to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Of these, four are part of a procurement network for components for UAV applications. These components are used to develop and produce Shahed-series UAVs which have been used by Iran to attack oil tankers in the Middle East and by Russia in Ukraine.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at all U.S. ports of entry will detain work gloves manufactured by Shanghai Select Safety Products Company, Limited and its two subsidiaries.. CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against Shanghai Select Safety Products Company, Limited and its two subsidiaries Nantong and HK, based on information that reasonably indicates the use of convict labor in violation of 19 U.S.C. § 1307 in the production of that merchandise.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking action against Hamas, targeting Gaza- and Lebanon-based leaders of the terrorist group’s offensive cyber and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. Concurrent with this action, the European Union is imposing sanctions targeting Hamas. 

Friday the Council of the European Union adopted a law covering EU-wide minimum rules for the prosecution of violation or circumvention of EU sanctions in member states. Certain actions will now be considered criminal offences in all member states, for example helping to bypass a travel ban, trading in sanctioned goods or performing prohibited financial activities. Inciting, aiding and abetting these offences can also be penalised. 

Dronemaker General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, have been sanctioned by the Chinese government for their sales to the government of Taiwan.    Last September China sanctioned Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin  on the same grounds. Missing from either announcement was Boeing, Taipei’s supplier of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Airline industry and labor groups are calling for restrictions on Chinese Airline flights to the US, citing unfair competition. The groups have asked for a "pause" to additional passenger flights between the United States and China "until U.S. workers and businesses are guaranteed equality of access in the marketplace, free from the existing harmful anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government. "

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released its final questionnaire to assess greenhouse gas emissions intensity of aluminum production in the United States at the company and facility level.

The European Council adopted Friday a decision to conclude the agreement establishing an association between the European Union and its member states, on the one hand, and Central America on the other.  This is the final step of the ratification process of the agreement, through which the EU and Central America commit to a close, long-term relationship in all main policy areas. It will allow the full implementation of the agreement on the first day of the month following the notification by the EU to the Central American counterparts. 

Wednesday Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster the Export Enforcement Coordination Center—an interagency hub for information sharing and coordination among the key agencies responsible for export control enforcement. At a hearing Thursday, officials from Commerce, Justice and Homeland Security were unanimous in their call for resources from Congress.