The President of the United States (US) focused this week on global transportation supply chains, namely two American ports on the West Coast of the country. Similar to the US, the British Prime Minister is also focused on supply chain challenges, appointing a person to help advise on the issue. The US also appears to … Continue Reading
Talks between the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) continued this week toward trying to resolve post-Brexit trade impasses, amid warnings from both sides. Officials from the United States (US) attended Group of 20 (G20) meetings and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ministerial this week, with Biden Administration officials welcoming the … Continue Reading
On Monday, October 4, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai gave a speech outlining the Biden Administration’s approach to the US-China trade relationship. While the speech was light on specifics, it provided for the first time a framework through which to view President Biden’s trade policies on China. From SPB’s perspective, the speech contained two notable … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, October 6, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) released the Fostering Overseas Rule of Law and Environmentally Sound Trade (FOREST) Act, which seeks to reduce commodity-driven illegal deforestation around the world. The legislation creates a risk-based framework for improving transparency in companies’ global supply chains; provides … Continue Reading
United States (US) Trade Representative Katherine Tai, along with other American officials, travelled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this week to participate in the inaugural US-European Union (EU) Trade and Tech Council (TTC) with their European counterparts. Group of Seven (G7) health and transport ministers met this week, reaching an agreement intended to boost the international travel … Continue Reading
Update: Defense industrial base, comments due 10/13/2021 The Department of Defense is seeking comments (both generally and in response to specific questions) focused on four topics identified by the agency: select kinetic capabilities, energy storage/batteries, microelectronics, and castings and forgings.… Continue Reading
Tension between the United States (US) and France remains heightened, spilling over to European Union (EU) – however, the EU-US Trade and Tech Council is set to move forward this coming week. Global leaders addressed the United Nations General Assembly this past week, with the US President convening a virtual COVID-19 Summit on the margins. … Continue Reading
The United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and Australia announced a new strategic alliance in the Indo-Pacific region this week that reportedly upset the US relationship with France, another strategic ally. Meanwhile, the US and the European Union (EU) combined efforts this week at an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting to address … Continue Reading
This week, the United Kingdom (UK) provided an extension related to the customs requirements for its goods transiting to Northern Ireland, thereby providing additional time for negotiations with the European Union (EU) to find a path forward to resolve the trade concerns tied to the Northern Ireland Protocol. The European Commission published its 2021 Strategic … Continue Reading
We are resuming the report after a two-week hiatus – a time-period coinciding with the United States (US) Congress and European Union (EU) annual summer recess break – and recapping developments since 16 August in this report. The EU and US are preparing for the EU-US Trade and Tech Council meeting later this month, with … Continue Reading
United States (US) employers, including the US Government, are increasingly mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for American employees, amid the past few weeks of increased Delta variant cases. The US Government also moved forward with approving the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for a booster dose for immunocompromised Americans only this week. Meanwhile, the US, in coordination with … Continue Reading
The United States (US) continues to grapple with the rapidly spreading Delta COVID-19 variant while also moving forward with fulfilling its global COVID-19 vaccine donation pledge. The US economy continues to show growth, albeit dampened by global supply chain challenges. This week, the US Senate moves forward with its bipartisan infrastructure bill prior to its … Continue Reading
The European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) countered this week with respect to post-Brexit intents related to Gibraltar and Northern Ireland, raising tension between the trading partners. Separately, the European Commission unveiled a package of legislative proposals this week related to anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing, while the UK announced a new scheme … Continue Reading
The United States (US) and European Union (EU) focused this week on forced labor and concerns with their respective supply chains, with the US releasing updated guidance on some related concerns coming from one region within the People’s Republic of China (China). Russia was also in the spotlight, with the US focused on cyber-attacks originating … Continue Reading
Travel is easing in the European Union (EU), with implementation of a COVID-19 Digital Certificate. The United States (US), along with European partners, announced a joint financing package this week to help facilitate COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity in South Africa. The White House also released the US COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework. Meanwhile, the … Continue Reading
The European Union (EU) published its TRIPS waiver proposal for COVID-19 vaccines this week at the World Trade Organization (WTO), with the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) welcoming the alternative, while seeking procedural clarifications. The US detailed this week how it would distribute 55 million of the 80 million from America’s COVID-19 vaccine … Continue Reading
The Group of Seven (G7) Leaders’ Summit concluded in the United Kingdom (UK) on Sunday, with several transatlantic leaders heading next to Brussels for the NATO Summit, including the President of the United States (US). In Belgium, the US and European Union (EU) leaders met to strengthen the partnership. EU officials also hosted a Summit … Continue Reading
The United Kingdom (UK) hosted the Group of Seven¹ (G7) Leaders’ Summit, which opened on Friday and will conclude on Sunday. The Summit comes after the G7 Finance Ministers reached an agreement in principle on global minimum tax regime last weekend. Officials from the United States (US), including the President, were in the UK this … Continue Reading
The European Union (EU) continues to resist supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) waiver for COVID-19 vaccines; and unveiled its alternative proposal on Friday. Meanwhile, the United States (US) Government announced how it would start sharing some of its vaccine supply with the world this week. Ahead … Continue Reading
The President of the United States (US) directed the American intelligence community to redouble efforts in ascertaining the origins of COVID-19, a move that comes amid US lawmakers increasingly pressing the Administration to investigate allegations of a possible leak from a laboratory in Wuhan in the People’s Republic of China (“China”). The European Union (EU) … Continue Reading
Amid the tense situation between Israel and Palestinians, the United States (US) Government announced new sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while waiving sanctions for an involved German company and its tops officials. Bipartisan US lawmakers chastised the Biden Administration over this move, saying the Administration weakened US efforts to counter Russian aggression … Continue Reading
The United States (US) marked a new stage in re-opening its economy this week, allowing vaccinated citizens to remove masks in a number of situations and opening vaccinations up to adolescents as young as 12. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration’s support for negotiating a TRIPS Agreement waiver for COVID-19 related vaccines at the World Trade Organization … Continue Reading
In a surprising announcement last week, the United States (US) reversed course on its position towards the COVID-10 TRIPS Agreement waiver negotiations, saying it would negotiate a waiver at the World Trade Organization (WTO). US Republican lawmakers and the pharmaceutical industry pushed back on the decision, warning it would allow the People’s Republic of China … Continue Reading
