International Economic Law

China urges US to abide by WTO anti-dumping agreement (Channel News Asia, 2 December 2016) When China joined the WTO in 2001, it agreed to let WTO members treat it as a non-market economy when assessing dumping duties for 15 years. That gave trade partners the advantage of using a third country’s prices to gauge…

Vivian reiterates S’pore’s firm belief in ASEAN integration (Business Times, 30 November 2016) Speaking to some 350 guests at the Straits Times Global Outlook Forum event at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia hotel, Dr Balakrishnan urged ASEAN to stay united in the face of global challenges. He stressed that Singapore is a “staunch believer” in the need…

What the China Trade Warriors Get Wrong (WSJ, 26 October 2016) After three intense presidential debates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump managed to agree on at least one thing: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad for America, in part because many trade deals have supposedly caused trade deficits. Unfortunately, they’re both wrong. The country would be better…

Vietnam’s reluctance to ratify the TPP is bad news for Washington (Nikkei Asia, 27 October 2016) Vietnam’s decision to hold off ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a further blow to the beleaguered trade pact and a setback for American economic ambitions in Asia. The 12-nation TPP is aimed at liberalizing trade and investment in the…

WTO appeals court backs South Korea in US trade dispute (Channel News Asia, 7 September 2016) South Korea largely won an appeal ruling at the World Trade Organization in a challenge that puts U.S. anti-subsidy duties on Korean-made washing machines in jeopardy. The ruling by the WTO Appellate Body, which is final, strengthened South Korea’s…

The US will have zero credibility in Asia if TPP fails, ex-CIA official warns (CNBC, 12 September 2016) The U.S. political impasse on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal is a “brewing disaster” that could be a significant setback for U.S. engagement in Asia. “I think U.S. credibility goes almost to zero in the region if we don’t get that done,” said…

China says US deliberately misread WTO rules in steel subsidy spat (Channel News Asia, 13 July 2016) China’s Commerce Ministry has said the United States had deliberately misinterpreted World Trade Organization (WTO) rules after the U.S. Commerce Department found in favour of subsidy rates for Chinese steel. The U.S. Commerce Department found in favour of…

ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit: Russia eyes economic expansion in SE Asia (Asia Times, 23 May 2016) Russia moved to forge stronger ties with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) mid-May, pledging to focus on economy rather than geopolitical alliances. Local observers preferred to highlight geopolitical aspects of the rapprochement between Russia and Southeast Asia.…

Non-trade issues at WTO, lack of legal experts worry India (The Hindu, 3 May 2016) Developing nations, including India, are facing a double disadvantage at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), according to Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said these nations are challenged not only by the lack of a sufficient pool of…

ASEAN focuses on removal of non-tariff barriers in 4 sectors (The Star, 5 May 2016) ASEAN will focus on the removal of non-tariff barriers in four sectors this year, Asean Business Advisory Council Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Munir Majid has said. He identified the sectors as agrifood, healthcare, logistics and retail, including e-commerce. “We are…

US wins WTO dispute against India’s solar rules (Reuters, 25 February 2016) The United States won a ruling against India at the World Trade Organization on Wednesday after challenging the rules on the origin of solar cells and solar modules used in India’s national solar power program. In a statement, the US Trade Representative’s office…

The Philippines asks WTO to force Thailand to comply on cigarette import ruling (Manila Bulletin, 3 February 2016) The Philippines has formally asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to compel Thailand to act consistently with the multilateral trade body’s ruling favouring the customs valuation of Philippine-made cigarette imports. The move was prompted by a legal…