WTO

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New Head of the WTO Explains 'Where My Mind Is at Now'

Okonjo-Iweala is first woman, African to lead world trade body

(Newser) - Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Monday to head the World Trade Organization, becoming the first woman and first African to take on the role amid rising protectionism and disagreement over how the body decides cases involving billions in sales and thousands of jobs. Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was named director-general by...

Trump Trade Legislation Has Unfortunate Acronym: FART

Critics pounce on the FART Act, which would give president broad new powers

(Newser) - President Trump is no fan of the World Trade Organization, and Axios reports that he ordered his advisers to work up a bill that would give him broad power to circumvent WTO rules and negotiate his own deals. The story by Jonathan Swan uses the words "insane" and "...

China Files WTO Complaint Over Trump's Tariff Hike

Says Trump's decision on aluminum, steel violates international trade rules

(Newser) - China has filed a World Trade Organization complaint challenging President Trump's tariff hike on imported steel and aluminum, the trade body said Tuesday. The tariff spat is one element of a wide-ranging trade dispute between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping's government. Trump also has threatened to increase...

Obama Files Trade Complaint Against China

Accuses Romney's companies of being 'pioneers in outsourcing'

(Newser) - Barack Obama launched a trade enforcement case against China today, arguing that it had unfairly subsidized its automobile exports—and he didn’t hesitate to make political hay of it. As he announced the policy in Ohio, Obama took a swipe at Bain Capital's record on outsourcing, the New ...

China Refusing to Pay EU Airspace Carbon Tax

Will Europe stop flights?

(Newser) - China is prohibiting all of its airlines from paying the EU's new carbon tax, a standoff that is likely destined for a World Trade Organization unfair trade practice suit, reports the BBC . The long-planned European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme came into effect the first of the year, and...

Russia Finally a WTO Member
 Russia Finally a WTO Member 
Dec 16, 2011 1:28 PM CST

Russia Finally a WTO Member

Move could boost Russian, European economies

(Newser) - Russia finally got its secret decoder ring for the World Trade Organization today, ending an 18-year quest for admittance. The vote is likely to provide a boost for both Russia's economy and that of its top trading partner, the European Union, the AP predicts, with the latter potentially boosting...

'Globosclerosis' Has Paralyzed World Powers
'Globosclerosis' Has Paralyzed World Powers
OPINION
Aug 1, 2008 9:11 AM CDT

'Globosclerosis' Has Paralyzed World Powers

Nations won't rise above parochial interests: Brooks

(Newser) - The collapse of the Doha round of trade talks this week was the first time since World War II that an effort to liberalize global commerce has failed. The talks went south not because they lacked support, writes David Brooks, but because Indian and Chinese politicians were afraid of antagonizing...

US Slams EU Over Tariffs on High Tech

Washington appeals to WTO to end levies on $70B worth of goods

(Newser) - The US butted heads with the European Union today over import tariffs on more than $70 billion worth of computer screens and other technology products, Reuters reports. "The EU should be working with the United States to promote new technologies, not finding protectionist gimmicks to apply new duties to...

US Scores With Only $21M in WTO Sanctions

Antigua sought $3.4B for online betting ban; US talks revising treaty

(Newser) - The WTO ruled today Antigua could impose $21 million in trade sanctions on the US because of an online betting ban, a significant loss for the Caribbean island that had sought $3.4 billion. The trade organization recognized the American authority to police public morals but said Washington could not...

Defiant African Leaders Reject EU Trade Deal

Relations between continents sour over human rights, Mugabe

(Newser) - European-African trade talks at a tense Lisbon summit collapsed in their final session yesterday. If a new agreement isn’t reached by year’s end, the European Union may levy higher tariffs on African exports, further exacerbating tensions between the continents. A new, controversial set of agreements would have dropped...

China Agrees to End Trade Subsidies: US

'Market-distorting' tax breaks helped create imbalance

(Newser) - China agreed today to end trade measures the US had called “market-distorting”, the Associated Press reports, ending a months-long dispute before the world's top trade board. One set of tax breaks encourages Chinese firms to boost exports to the US and other countries; another set of tariffs made it...

Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing
Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing
Aug 3, 2007 11:43 AM CDT

Swiss Army Eyes Outsourcing

Opposition mounts against outsourcing a legend

(Newser) - Can a Swiss army knife be made in China and still cut it as an icon? That's become a hot political topic in Geneva since the army announced that, under WTO rules, they have to open up the manufacture of their signature knives to bids from companies in other countries....

12 Stories