News
16th March 2017
Dutch election result undermines fears of imminent EU collapse
Results of the March 15 election for the Dutch House of Representatives seem to kill worries the EU is about to collapse. But, though those worries have never had any...
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3rd March 2017
Wilbur Ross, sceptical about border taxes, outlines priorities for NAFTA renegotiation
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in a March 3 interview, offered insights into general trade priorities and his priorities for the NAFTA renegotiation. Overall, he said his priorities were: "First emphasis...
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1st March 2017
UK Government: “Prepare to leave EU without a free trade deal”
The UK government was reported on March 1 to have instructed its departments to have plans ready for governing if Britain fails to secure an adequate free trade deal with...
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1st March 2017
Week’s appointments give Trump administration a working trade team
Late February Senate confirmations and ad-hoc appointments now give the US a reasonably clear, though possibly temporary, senior trade team. Wilbur Ross, former owner of International Textile Group, was confirmed...
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1st March 2017
US policy announcements ignore major trade commitments
Although in January Donald Trump summarised his objectives as “Buy American, hire American", major policy priority summaries now almost ignore trade programmes. Trump’s Address to Congress Donald Trump’s February 28...
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1st March 2017
Still unclear who’s coming to jilted TPP partners’ future planning meeting in Chile
It remains unclear which countries are attending the meeting called for March 14-15 in Viña del Mar, Chile, to discuss options for trade co-operation after US withdrawal from the TPP. The...
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28th February 2017
Mexico says “we’ll quit NAFTA if Trump makes unreasonable demands”
Mexico's top trade negotiator said in an interview published on February 27 that he would walk away from the table if US negotiators threatened 20% duties on cars. “The moment that...
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27th February 2017
UK policy on post-Brexit migration begins to emerge. But pro-Brexit groups claim “betrayal”
Towards the end of February, more clarity began to emerge about the UK's policy on migration from the EU after it leaves in spring 2019. Most commentators agree that uncontrolled...
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24th February 2017
Myanmar sets up new minimum wage committee
The government in Myanmar has set up a new committee on minimum wages, local media reported on February 23. The committee, which will include "financial experts, ministries and representatives from...
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18th February 2017
EU changes in April 2017: Trade policy in times of Brexit
There are five key issues surrounding the EU's role in the world economy. The Future of the EU itself It is currently fashionable in much of the US and UK...
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14th February 2017
Trump seems to be trying to break up NAFTA
A possibly unscripted February 13 remark by Donald Trump might indicate he wants to break up NAFTA, not merely renegotiate it. At a press conference for the Washington visit of...
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13th February 2017
Li&Fung dropped from stock index of Hong Kong’s leading firms
Li&Fung will be dropped from Hong Kong's Han Seng index of leading quoted businesses from March 6, the index compilers announced on February 12. The delisting - which has no...
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