Canada requested dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization with China regarding Chinese duties on Canadian agricultural and fishery products, the WTO announced on March 24. Canada alleged that the measures violate the WTO's Understanding on the Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
The European Commission on March 25 lowered the liberalization rate for its steel safeguard measure from 1% to 0.1%, reducing the amount of steel that can be imported into the EU without tariffs.
Ethiopia hopes to join the World Trade Organization by the 14th Ministerial Conference, which will take place in March 2026, the WTO said. During a March 19 meeting of the WTO Working Party on Ethiopia's accession, the country said "its goods offer commits the country to bound rates -- maximum tariffs -- lower than those" found in the benchmark for least developed countries for the agricultural sector.
The Federal Maritime Commission is asking for public comments on an information collection related to ocean common carriers that are subject to the FMC’s regulations. The notice said these controlled carriers must ensure that they don’t maintain rates or charges in their tariffs and service contracts “that are below a level that is just and reasonable; nor establish, maintain, or enforce unjust or unreasonable classifications, rules, or regulations in those tariffs or service contracts that result or are likely to result in the carriage or handling of cargo at rates or charges that are below a just and reasonable level.” Public comments are due April 23.
The European Commission will delay its first wave of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. from April 1 until mid-April, commission spokesperson Olof Gill said in a statement March 20. Gill said the tariffs were delayed to "align the timing" of the EU's two sets of retaliatory actions announced last month (see 2503120042).
Three U.K.-registered charity organizations violated the country’s financial sanctions regulations when they failed to respond to letters from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, the agency said this month.
A State Department notice declaring that all agency efforts to control international trade now constitute a "foreign affairs function" of the U.S. under the Administrative Procedure Act will ultimately be subject to the discretion of the courts, trade lawyers told us.
U.S. ambassador to Japan nominee George Glass said March 13 that he would seek to ensure Japan follows through on its commitment to ramp up its purchase of U.S. liquefied natural gas to reduce its trade deficit with the U.S. and its reliance on Russia.
Two Democrats and two Republicans in the Senate asked the administration to press Canada on changing how it administers tariff rate quotas for U.S. dairy exports as it approaches a renegotiation.
It’s possible that the Trump administration offers Russia some “symbolic” sanctions relief as part of peace negotiations with Ukraine, but the broader lifting of sanctions on Russia’s oil sector is more unlikely, a former U.S. sanctions official said this week.