Latest Trade News

1.Obama Welcomes Canada, Mexico Interest In Joining TPP Negotiations, President Obama yesterday (Nov. 13) welcomed the interest of Canada and Mexico in joining the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks, and their intention to begin negotiations with TPP partners on that possibility.

2. Canadian Industry Groups Surprised, Confused By TPP Announcement, Canadian industry representatives this week said they were surprised and confused by the announcement over the weekend from Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canada is interested in pursuing formal consultations to determine whether it could participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

3. Administration Pushes Ahead On Export Control Reform In Face Of Fatigue, Administration officials hope to complete an important phase of the export control reform initiative within the next 12 months by easing controls on tens of thousands of munitions items and technologies, even as industry sources complain of fatigue with the lengthy liberalization process, which has yet to provide any short-term deliverables and could still ultimately be torpedoed by opposition in Congress.

4. U.S. TPP Environment Proposal Follows 'May 10' Template, But May Have Different Effects, The environmental proposal that the United States has tabled in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations on its face replicates the approach of the so-called May 10, 2007, template on environmental protections, but the way in which it would function in the TPP context likely implies less extensive environmental commitments.