Chinese cloud computing companies could pose a threat to US national security, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told a Senate panel Wednesday. She promised to review a request made by a group of Republican senators to add companies like Huawei Cloud and Alibaba Cloud to Commerce’s Entity List, which would subject the firms to US export controls.

The chair-select for the World Trade Organization's (WTO) TRIPS Council, Ambassador Pimchanok Pitfield of Thailand, suggested linking issues in the TRIPS agreement with other areas, such as agriculture, food insecurity, trade, climate change, and WTO reforms, ahead of the 13th ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi next year, our correspondent reports.

Countries seeking the continuation of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) existing moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions have not provided sufficient evidence of its benefits for global trade and price reduction, according to sources familiar with ongoing discussions.

The United States has proposed significant reforms to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dispute settlement system, potentially causing uncertainty and allowing political pressure to affect decisions, according to confidential documents obtained by our Geneva correspondent. Critics argue that these proposals may harm smaller WTO members.

The Department of Commerce has announced a funding opportunity through the 2023 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) to support projects aimed at generating U.S. exports, addressing trade barriers, enhancing industry competitiveness, and creating American jobs. The program will provide up to $300,000 per project to eligible non-profit industry groups and other entities.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and six of her colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, expressing concerns about the impact of including skewed digital trade rules in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The lawmakers argue that these rules could hinder the U.S. government's ability to promote competition, regulate AI, and protect consumer and worker privacy. They are also urging the USTR to prioritize transparency during IPEF negotiations.

The G7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism met on Wednesday to discuss ways to tighten the sanctions and export controls against Russia.  Action items were prepared for consideration by G7 Leadership during next mont's summit in Canada.

U.S. Commercial Service will host a number of export sessions during the week of May 1-5, 2023. The sessions, led by both private and public sector experts, will feature tradecraft programs and industry focused opportunities

Friday, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) met under the chairmanship of Petter Ølberg (Norway) to discuss several ongoing disputes. The European Union blocked Indonesia's request to …

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned three individuals for providing support to North Korea through illicit financing and malicious cyber activity.

The State Department has released its annual report to Congress on direct commercial sales authorizations for fiscal year 2022.

Deputy Trade Representative María L. Pagán attended the World Trade Organization's (WTO) second "Fish Week" from April 25 to April 28, 2023, where she conveyed the U.S. position on the remaining issues in the second phase of negotiations of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has announced the seven members of the U.S. Section of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force.

The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration has announced a trade mission to Canada and Mexico, scheduled from September 17–22, 2023.

A second conspirator has been arrested in a scheme to launder funds for the fugitive "Gas King of Ukraine," Sergey Kurchenko, through a Florida metals service center.

The US Department of State is removing certain high-energy storage capacitors from the United States Munitions List (USML) as they are widely available internationally and do not provide a critical military or intelligence advantage.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on four senior officials of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) in a groundbreaking move. In addition to the action against Iran, OFAC has implemented the State Department's designation of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for its involvement in the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals abroad.

The Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resource (TIMBER) Working Group, a new interagency collaboration, was announced at the TIMBER Trafficking Enforcement Roundtable April 19.

A New York attorney has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit international money laundering in connection to maintaining properties in the U.S. owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The attorney, Robert Wise of Pelham, New York, admitted to taking part in a scheme that funneled approximately $3.8 million in U.S. dollars to six real properties, valued at around $75 million, on behalf of Vekselberg.

World military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022, reaching a new high of $2240 billion, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The top three spenders, the United States, China, and Russia, accounted for 56% of the global total.