Editor’s note: China’s debt trap diplomacy is a means of predation. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two prominent U.S. senators expressed alarm on Tuesday about the military and political consequences if China gains control of a port terminal in Djibouti, and said they were concerned it could further boost Beijing’s influence in East Africa. [ Patricia Zengerle…

Editors note: we may be getting closer to a massive new trade action, tariffs on incoming automobiles in auto parts based on section 232 national security concerns. The White House is circulating a draft report by the U.S. Commerce Department over whether to impose tariffs on automobile imports to protect national security, three people familiar…

Editors note: The new house Democratic majority is focusing on enforceability of labor provisions in the new US Mexico Canada Agreement. Dems should also start endorsing tariffs and fixing the noncompetitive dollar.  WASHINGTON — President Trump’s promise to quickly pass a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement has been upended by the midterm elections, with…

The United Kingdom and the European Union took a big swipe at the United States last week. Both the British government and the European Commission floated the idea of a “digital tax” on Facebook, Twitter, and other tech companies they believe are evading European taxes. But if tax avoidance is the issue — and Europe believes it…

Editor’s note: Rep. Bill Pascrell wants to chair the trade subcommittee of Ways & Means. He has been a strong fair trader, is receptive to CPA ideas, but has not yet fully embraced “strategic trade in the US interest”, which is CPA’s view of trade policy. Rep. Richard Pascrell (D-NJ), the ranking member of the…

One morning in October, a smiling Wilbur Ross, President Trump’s commerce secretary and most visible trade warrior, enters the lobby of an Embassy Suites hotel in Washington. Clad in a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, which upon closer inspection turns out to be decorated with tiny beavers, Ross greets members of a national…

Editors note: this story is important because it again debunks the disproven claim that automation caused manufacturing job losses rather than trade.  Looking back, there were two kinds of people who lived in America in 2016: people who believed Donald Trump, and people who believed data. [Gwynn Guilford | November 8, 2018 | Quartz] Trump…

Editors note: the department of commerce is becoming very aggressive with self initiating trade enforcement cases. Wilbur Ross is doing a good job, unlike his immediate predecessors.  The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced affirmative final determinations against imports of Chinese aluminum sheet, advancing antidumping and countervailing duty investigations that were self-initiated by the agency last…

By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director The USMCA Agreement contains rules of origin for the automotive industry that will have a wide-ranging effect on the auto industry.  They should be beneficial for US automakers, their suppliers, and autoworkers. At the headline level, automobiles will only be considered originating in North America and tariff-free if 75%…

Editor’s note: This is a good article describing how manufacturing supply chains and worker skills are critical for national defense.  If you want to believe America is still the “arsenal of democracy” that Franklin Roosevelt described in 1940, you might want to avoid looking too closely at the U.S. manufacturing sector. China has become the…