If the United States allows some of China’s largest producers of freight rail cars into the country, they could end up eliminating up to 65,000 U.S. jobs, according to a study released Monday. [Evelyn Cheng] May 15th, 2017 [CNBC] “The pace of globalization and the arrival of entrants from countries such as China into the U.S. market,…

The European Court of Justice on May 16 issued its long-anticipated ruling in its review of the EU-Singapore free trade agreement, finding that the deal — as well as subsequent EU-negotiated agreements that contain investor protections — must be approved by a consensus of member state national parliaments. [Brett Fortnam] May 16th, 2017 [Inside Trade]…

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer took office on Monday promising to help President Trump “permanently” reverse what he described as America’s “dangerous” trade policies. [Jenny Leonard & Dan Dupont] May 15th, 2017 [Inside Trade] At his swearing-in ceremony, Lighthizer said he was “grateful to have been asked by the president to serve him on this very…

Robert Lighthizer, slated to be sworn in as U.S. Trade Representative on Monday afternoon, will have a busy first week in office, meeting with congressional committees of jurisdiction to discuss the administration’s negotiating objectives for NAFTA and traveling to the two-day APEC trade ministers meeting in Vietnam, sources told Inside U.S. Trade. [Jenny Leonard] May 14th,…

By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director On May 4th, Professor William J. Baumol died at the age of 95. He was a prodigious writer and innovator in economic theory, author of some 500 papers over the more than half a century he taught at Princeton University and NYU.  At least once, he was reportedly on…

Agreements covering beef, poultry and financial services reverse stances held by the Obama administration and sidestep touchier issues such as steel. [KEITH BRADSHER] May 11th, 2017 [The New York Times] BEIJING — The United States has reached a set of trade deals with China covering areas like electronic payment services, beef and poultry, compromising on…

This time, it’s cold-drawn mechanical tubing from several countries, including China.   [ELIZABETH BROTHERTON-BUNCH] May 11th, 2017 The battle against dumped steel imports wages on. On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced his department is initiating an investigation into cold-drawn mechanical tubing imports from countries including China, Germany, Italy, India, South Korea and Switzerland. The antidumping and…

National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro says the U.S. needs to unwind “bad” trade agreements and strike new ones that would prevent such practices. He says the administration is off to a good start. Emily Bogle/NPR [Scott Horsley] May 3rd, 2017 [NPR] On his 100th day in office, President Trump signed an executive order creating…

“[Editorial note: An important blast from the past. This is a 2008 op-ed by Bob Lighthizer, Trump’s nominee for US Trade Ambassador. His criticism of Senator John McCain’s approach to trade policy is the source of McCain’s obstruction of Lighthizer’s nomination to day.]” [ROBERT E. LIGHTHIZER] March 6th, 2008 [The New York Times] NOW that…

By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director The Trump Administration’s views on some issues (think health care) has evolved over recent months. But on foreign trade, the Administration has consistently stuck to Donald Trump’s pre-election view that past trade deals have been a lousy deal for the U.S. worker and they need to be fixed.  Secretary…