| | | | |  | | By Steven Overly | Presented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce | With help from Doug Palmer, Ximena Bustillo and Tanya Snyder
| | | — The Ambassador Bridge blockade was broken over the weekend after authorities drove out protestors who for days had been stopping traffic on the vital trade route between the U.S. and Canada. — Avocado shipments from a major Mexican state are on hold following a threatening message that was sent to a Department of Agriculture inspector. — U.S. trade officials are headed back to Ecuador this week for meetings on labor and environmental standards. Expect Ecuador to push for a full-fledged trade pact. It's Monday, Feb. 14! Happy Valentine's Day and welcome to Weekly Trade. Your host is exploring a trip to Peru and could use your tips. Please send me an e-mail or message me on Twitter with can't-miss cities, sites and activities. Send us your news: soverly@politico.com, gbade@politico.com and dpalmer@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The Digital Trade Revolution: A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Burgeoning digital trade opportunities are supporting dynamic growth and good jobs in all 50 states, and firms of all sizes and sectors are poised to benefit. However, a wave of digital protectionism abroad puts these opportunities at risk. To counter this trend, the U.S. must act swiftly to negotiate a high-standard digital trade agreement with partners around the world. Read the report | | | |  | Driving The Day | | U.S.-CANADA TRADE LINK BACK IN ACTION: Authorities cleared out anti-vaccine protestors who had been clogging a vital trade route between the U.S. and Canada over the weekend, with the movement of people and products poised to resume via the Ambassador Bridge after several days of disruptions. The protest was preventing more than $300 million of goods from being transported between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, each day, hobbling critical industries and stoking economic anxieties on both sides of the border. The bridge is especially critical for moving autoparts and agricultural goods, and inspired calls from some lawmakers to detangle the cross-border manufacturing and supply chains. "We are dependent on each other and we need to work together to strengthen and safeguard our joint stewardship of our common border," said Maryscott Greenwood, the CEO of the Canadian American Business Council. "Calls to re-shore all manufacturing on one side or the other is the opposite of what is needed here. Rather, we must find ways to support and reinforce our collaboration." Biden response : Senior administration officials, including White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were in touch with Canadian officials over the weekend. On Friday, Ontario declared a state of emergency and a court granted an injunction against those blocking the bridge. That paved the way for law enforcement to seize vehicles, remove barriers and arrest protestors, who could face both steep fines and jail time. Copy-cat concerns: The Canadian bridge blockade, which was initiated by truckers opposed to cross-border vaccine requirements, has inspired similar protests in Europe, POLITICO Europe's Mark Scott reports. The French imposed hundreds of fines over the weekend and Belgian authorities are preparing for a convoy in Brussels today. Meanwhile, the Biden administration said last week that it was aware of truckers planning to mobilize in the U.S. Concerns about disruptions to last night's Super Bowl in Los Angeles did not materialize, though authorities have said future disruptions could occur. Anti-vaccine protesters aren't speaking for the industry at large , according to trade associations. The American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Teamsters forcefully denounced the blockade of travel and trade last week. U.S. STOPS MEXICAN AVOCADO SHIPMENTS: Hope you enjoyed that guacamole during last night's Super Bowl. Over the weekend, the U.S. halted avocado inspections from Mexico's largest producing region "until further notice" after a threatening message was left on an Agriculture Department inspector's cell phone. The Mexican Ministry of Agriculture announced in a press release that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would pause avocado inspections in the state of Michoacán while it investigates the threat, halting the import of avocados yet to be inspected. Products that have been cleared will not be blocked, according to USDA. Trade impact: The U.S. imported $2.7 billion worth of avocados in 2021, with Mexico by far the largest foreign supplier of prepared, preserved and fresh avocados. U.S. demand for avocados has been on the rise in recent decades and, in 2018, the average American consumed eight pounds of avocados, per USDA data.
| | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. WHITE'S WEEK IN ECUADOR: Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jayme White will spend the week in Ecuador, where he is expected to co-host the fourth meeting of the nations' Trade and Investment Council. The Biden administration has resisted calls to pursue new free trade agreements, but it seems likely that Ecuador will push for one anyway. Two of its neighbors, Peru and Colombia, have free trade agreements with the U.S., which Ecuador fears puts it at a regional disadvantage. The Trump administration signed a mini trade deal with Ecuador shortly before leaving office, adding provisions to a longstanding agreement designed to make trade more transparent and streamlined, and less susceptible to corruption. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Daniel Watson traveled to Ecuador in August to mark that deal going into effect. He said at the time that the U.S. would continue to push for higher labor and environmental standards. "During this visit and in future engagement, we will highlight these themes and how we can collaborate with Ecuador to ensure the benefits of trade reach the widest possible number of citizens in both our countries," Watson said at the time. U.S. FIRMS IN UKRAINE BRACE FOR INVASION: The U.S.-Ukraine Business Council is urging members to develop a crisis plan should Russian President Vladimir Putin initiate an invasion in the coming days. Those plans involve evacuating key employees from the country, removing sensitive information and data, and protecting remaining assets and employees, said President and CEO Morgan Williams. By the numbers: U.S. trade with Ukraine is relatively small but data show it has been growing in recent years. The U.S. exported $2.5 billion worth of goods to Ukraine last year, per Census data. Meanwhile, Americans import roughly $1.9 billion worth of goods from Ukraine. Conflict pending: The Biden administration has warned that conflict could begin within days after months of mounting tension along the Russia-Ukraine border. Businesses have already been feeling the strain as many have chosen to halt expansion plans and limit foreign direct investment, while others have found it nearly impossible to obtain loans, William said. "The business community, of course, hopes the Biden administration, with other western counties, is able to convince Putin not to invade," Williams said. "The Biden administration has recently taken some major actions but there are more they could take." The administration has said that the U.S. and its allies would retaliate against Russia with sanctions and export controls. ALASKAN SENATORS LOOK TO BAN RUSSIAN SEAFOOD: Alaskan Sens. Dan Sullivan (R) and Lisa Murkowski (R) introduced legislation Friday that would prohibit seafood imports from Russia. If passed, the legislation would take a belated swing at Russia for its own ban on U.S. seafood back in 2014. "Most Americans would be astounded to learn that Russia has unfettered access to sell its seafood in the United States at the same time America's fishermen and seafood processors have zero access to the Russian market," Sullivan said in a statement. "This is just wrong and hurts our fishermen." The U.S-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act comes as bipartisan efforts to impose sanctions on Russia over its seemingly imminent invasion of Ukraine havebroken down in recent days. Murkowski called the new bill "a perfect addition to a package meant to show Russia that undermining and disrupting global norms will not go unpunished."
| | | |   | | | | | | ITC APPROVES LEMON JUICE IMPORT PROBE: The U.S. International Trade Commission on Fridayvoted to allow the Commerce Department to continue investigations that could lead to steep anti-dumping duties of imports of lemon juice from Brazil and South Africa. The case brought by Ventura Coastal based in Ventura, Calif. accuses competitors from the two countries of selling their product at less than fair market value. They are seeking anti-dumping duties of more than 200 percent on Brazil and close to 100 percent on South Africa. The Commerce Department is expected to make a preliminary decision on duty levels by June 8. Steel nails, too: The ITC also voted 5-0 to greenlight another set of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into imports of steel nails from India, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. That case was brought by Mid Continent Steel & Wire in Poplar Bluff, Mo. A preliminary Commerce Department decision is expected by June 8.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — The prospect of conflict between Russia and Ukraine is causing oil prices to climb, the Wall Street Journal writes. — Customs and Border Protection is using scanning technology to detect fentanyl crossing the Mexican border, The Washington Post reports. — India's foreign minister criticized China over its coercive trade practices toward Australia, according to Bloomberg.
| | | | A message from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The Digital Trade Revolution: A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Burgeoning digital trade opportunities are supporting dynamic growth and good jobs in all 50 states, and firms of all sizes and sectors are poised to benefit. Notably, services trade is now growing twice as fast as goods trade, and most services can now be exported to customers abroad digitally. However, a wave of digital protectionism overseas puts these opportunities at risk as scores of countries have imposed data localization measures and other trade barriers. To counter this trend, the U.S. must act swiftly to negotiate a high-standard digital trade agreement with partners around the world. Read the report. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment