US requests WTO panel get involved in tariffs retaliation: report

10/19/2018 – The Hill 

The U.S. is requesting the World Trade Organization convene a dispute resolution panel to get involved in the growing dispute over international retaliation against American tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The request, which Reuters reports was submitted Thursday, is in regard to tariffs imposed by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which were all placed after the Trump administration imposed a 25 percent duty on steel imports and a 10 percent tax on aluminum imports, which it said were based on national security concerns.

Canada, Mexico, China and the EU also said it would seek the WTO’s help in resolving the dispute, yet the focus would be on Washington’s tariffs rather than their own.

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Mexico could seek hefty damages against U.S. over meat laws: official

11/05/14 Reuters

Mexico would seek “hundreds of millions” of dollars in trade retaliation against the United States if Washington does not change meat labeling laws, a Mexican official said, as Mexico and Canada kept up pressure on the United States to act. The World Trade Organization ruled last month that the United States had failed to bring its meat labeling regulations fully in line with international fair trading rules after a complaint by its two neighbors. The ruling would be a step toward potential retaliation if packaging laws are not changed.

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WTO Panel Decides Against U.S. in Meat-Labeling Dispute

08/21/14 The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. has lost a key round at the World Trade Organization in a trade dispute with Canada and Mexico over meat labeling, according to people familiar with the WTO’s findings.

Canada and Mexico opposed a new U.S. rule that requires more information on labels about the origins of beef, pork and other meats, which went into effect in November. They took their case to the WTO, saying the rule hurts their competitiveness. The WTO panel that heard oral arguments in the dispute over the so-called country-of-origin labeling rule earlier this year has decided in favor of Canada and Mexico, according to sources familiar with the panel’s confidential report.

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Mexico congratulates Brazil win in rival WTO candidacy

AFP, 5/8/2013

Mexico congratulated Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevedo for his victory in the race to lead the World Trade Organization, confirming the defeat of its candidate, former Mexican trade chief Herminio Blanco. Mexico’s economy ministry said that, according to the three ambassadors in charge of leading the election process, Azevedo was “the candidate favored by the WTO membership” and that Blanco called him to “express his full support in his new post.”

“Mexico congratulates Ambassador Roberto Azevedo for his election,” the ministry said in a statement. Diplomats said earlier that Azevedo, Brazil’s ambassador to the 159-nation organization, narrowly defeated Blanco in the final round of voting in the closed-door contest. Seven other candidates had been eliminated in earlier rounds.

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Mexico Battles Brazil for Clout Via WTO Top Job as Economy Grows

Bloomberg, 5/6/2013

Latin America’s two largest nations are vying for economic and diplomatic clout as their candidates face off as finalists to head the World Trade Organization. The WTO is scheduled to name by May 8 the first director- general from Latin America in its 18-year history. It will choose between Roberto Azevedo, Brazil (BZGDGDP4)’s representative to the Geneva-based group, and Herminio Blanco, a former Mexico trade minister who led the nation’s negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and Canada. The winner will replace the outgoing WTO chief, France’s Pascal Lamy, in September.

The race is a contest for diplomatic prowess as Mexico draws on its faster growth and more open economy to fortify its candidate, said Michael Shifter, president of Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Analysts polled by Bloomberg forecast Mexico will outgrow its southern peer for the third straight year in 2013, reversing a trend that allowed Brazil to pull ahead as the region’s largest market in 2005. “There’s rivalry and competition there,” Shifter said by telephone from Washington. “Mexico is feeling very confident. As they seek to gain more international clout, Brazil is on their mind.”

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Mexico accuses China of breaking world trade rules

The Christian Science Monitor, 10/15/2012

Mexico has accused China of breaking World Trade Organization rules by giving tax breaks and other favorable deals to its own clothing and textile businesses, the global trade body said on Monday.

Mexico filed a complaint with the WTO saying Beijing was effectively subsidizing Chinese companies in those sectors by exempting them from income taxes, value-added taxes and municipal taxes, the organization said in a statement.

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WTO Rules on Dolphin-Safe Tuna Labeling

 

 

WTO rules against ‘dolphin safe’ tuna labels

The Hill, 5/16/12

The World Trade Organization’s appeals court on Tuesday ruled against U.S. “dolphin safe” tuna labels, in a move that will likely enrage U.S. environmental activists. The ruling could be one of the most controversial in years. The tuna/dolphin case in the early 1990s sparked protests against the WTO’s predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

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WTO final ruling in favor of fair access of Mexican tune exports to the United States

Embajada de Mexico, 5/16/12

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body ruled in favor of Mexico and of the environment by finding that the dolphin-safe label contravenes the United States’ WTO obligations.  The ruling recognizes efforts undertaken by Mexico and Mexican fisheries to promote dolphin and marine ecosystem sustainability.

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The summary of key findings in the dispute settlement can be read here, at the WTO’s website.

Mexico threatens Argentina with WTO on auto deal

Reuters, 3/21/12

Mexico will oppose Argentina if it tries to scrap a bilateral auto accord and even take the issue to the World Trade Organization if the dispute escalates, Mexico’s economy minister said on Wednesday.

Argentina said this week it would seek more favorable terms in the deal that sets import and export limits. In a similar move last week, Brazil won concessions limiting the number of Mexican auto exports to the country. “Mexico’s position towards Argentina is totally different,” Mexico Economy Minister Bruno Ferrari told reporters. “We see nothing that would allow reopening this issue.”

Argentina’s center-left government has tightened controls on imports and foreign-exchange purchases in recent months to bolster its balance of trade, which is key to boosting international reserves used to pay debt.

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