US and European Union officials are looking to the next meeting of the Trade and Technology Council to deliver results in key areas discussed at this week’s session, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said Wednesday.. Those issues – artificial intelligence, semiconductors and standards setting – are ones that Brussels and Washington have been engaged on since the TTC was launched.

Chad P. Bown is the new State Department Chief Economist, serving as the Secretary of State’s most senior advisor on economics. Mr. Bown has been senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics since 2016. There, His research examined international trade laws and institutions, trade negotiations, and trade disputes.  Much of his published research has addressed the WTO Dispute Settlement process.

The World Trade Organization is unlikely to achieve a reform outcome during the 13th ministerial conference commencing in Abu Dhabi on February 26, our correspondent writes. They recognized the importance and urgency of addressing these issues and committed to conducting discussions with the aim of establishing a fully functional dispute settlement system accessible to all Members by 2024. However, the current status of these discussions remains uncertain due to the United States' position, which favors continued deliberations without hastening towards an outcome that might overlook certain members' needs or impose constraints hindering constructive dialogue.

Many countries lent support to the draft agriculture negotiating text issued last week by the chair of the Doha agriculture negotiations. They expressed that it could serve as a basis for advancing negotiations leading up to the World Trade Organization’s 13th ministerial conference, which commences on February 26. During a meeting of the Doha agriculture negotiating body, several members, including Brazil and the United States, indicated their approval of the draft text put forth by Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye, considering it a viable foundation for negotiations.

The upcoming 13th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization in Geneva seems to be becoming an event focused on deferring critical issues previously agreed upon during the MC12 ministerial meeting held in July 2022, according to informed sources. Recent developments within the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council indicate that there will be no decision to extend the TRIPS-partial waiver to COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. Similarly, the sixth draft of the ministerial decision on dispute settlement reform, particularly regarding the appeal review mechanism, suggests that the two-tier dispute settlement system, considered the "jewel in the crown," will not be reinstated at MC13, despite the mandate provided in MC12.

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana on Tuesday asked the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel to withdraw from a sister-city agreement with a Chinese municipality and to refuse trips organized by groups linked to China’s ruling party. “China has successfully leveraged sister-city agreements to force American and foreign politicians to endorse its one-China policy and to oppose policies that could harm China,” Banks wrote. The policy asserts that Taiwan, governed by an opposing party, is part of China.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a markup to consider various measures regarding export controls, prohibiting US contributions to UNRWA, restricting Iran’s access to U.S. goods and technology to manufacture missiles and long-range drones, designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, and enhancing efforts to end international human trafficking on Tuesday, February 6th.

The Department of Defense released an updated blacklist with more than a dozen new Chinese companies on it, including memory chip maker YMTC, artificial intelligence company Megvii, LiDAR maker Hesai Technology and tech company NetPosa.   Section 1260H of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry NDAA for FY21 (Pub. L. 116–283) directs the Secretary of Defense to continue to list “Chinese military companies” (CMCs) annually until December 31, 2030.

February 1, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published the Price Cap Coalition Compliance and Enforcement Alert. This alert includes an overview of key OPC evasion methods and recommendations for identifying such methods and mitigating their risks and negative impacts, and Information on how to report OPC suspected breaches across the Price Cap Coalition.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has urged the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to "work expeditiously" to initiate a rulemaking on shipping exchanges and "establish healthy and fair competition in the global shipping market." "If the U.S. does not approve a competitor, the CCP could obtain a monopoly, leading to a troubling outcome for American shippers and global commerce," the lawmakers write.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience, generally referred to as the Supply Chain Agreement, will enter into force on February 24, 2024.  The focus in the coming months will turn to various milestones set out in the Agreement related to establishing three supply chain bodies – the Supply Chain Council, Crisis Response Network, and Labor Rights Advisory Board.

Tractor maker Kubota North America Corporation will pay a $2 million civil penalty as a result of a Federal Trade Commission action against the company for falsely labeling some of its replacement parts as being “Made in USA.” Kubota will be prohibited from making deceptive claims in addition to requiring them to pay the penalty, which is the largest ever in a Made in USA case.

In a federal court in Brooklyn, Gyanendra Asre pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act, as part of a scheme to bring lucrative and high-risk international financial business to a small, unsophisticated credit union. When sentenced, Asre faces up to 10 years in prison. In a parallel action, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) assessed a civil money penalty of $100,000 and a five year ban from AML supervisory employment.

A performance audit of coordination of the implementation, enforcement, and verification of the new automotive rules of origin included in the USMCA found material gaps, placing responsibility on the office of the United Stated Trade Representative (USTR), which is responsible for coordinating efforts.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen, Director, BIS Office of Export Enforcement John Sonderman and OEE Deputy Director Dan Clutch headline the Advanced Forum on Global Export Controls in Washington, DC February 28 & 28.

The primary focus of Commerce's export enforcement activities this year will be high-profile cases coordinated with other agencies, both in the US and in league with allied counterparts. In a discussion sponsored by Baker McKenzie January 30, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matt Axelrod shared his thoughts on the evolving state of Export Control, and his expectations for the coming year.

Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) imposed a civil penalty of $153,175 against Wabtec Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of rail technology headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to resolve 43 violations of the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (antiboycott regulations) alleged in BIS’s Proposed Charging Letter. Wabtec voluntarily disclosed the conduct to BIS, cooperated with the investigation by BIS’s Office of Antiboycott Compliance (OAC), and took remedial measures after discovering the conduct at issue, which resulted in a significant reduction in the penalty.

House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc) is continuing to put pressure on Ford Motor Company because of its partnership with China-based electric-vehicle battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (CATL) to build a Michigan factory. Mr. Gallagher and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash) said their "cursory review" uncovered evidence that Ford plans to use technology and software from at least four Chinese companies that supply the same types of information technology tools to the Chinese military, North Korean government and China’s Ministry of Public Security.

The Commerce Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for establishing new requirements for Infrastructure as a Service providers (IaaS or “cloud infrastructure providers”). The proposed rule introduces potential regulations that require U.S. cloud infrastructure providers and their foreign resellers to implement and maintain Customer Identification Programs (CIPs), which would include the collection of “Know Your Customer” (KYC) information.

Swiss-based, Singapore-registered, and US Government-funded commodity trader Trafigura Group announced that one of their cargos of Russian fuel was struck by a missile as it left the Red …