Taiwan is the fortress island dominating the sea passage between the South and East China Seas, the linchpin of the first island chain of US allies that blocks the Chinese navy from dominating Asia’s coastal nations from Japan and South Korea down to Indonesia and Australia and westward past Singapore and India to the Persian […]
In lumber dispute, WTO sides with Canada
This week’s report with trade correspondent L.C. covers US trade developments with Canada (lumber), Vietnam (tires), Brazil (steel), and Taiwan (FTA); the Republican convention; and Japan-Australia-India talks for “supply chain resilience” A WTO dispute settlement panel has found that the US erred in determining that Canadian softwood lumber was unfairly subsidized and that it therefore […]
Administration concedes failure of bilateral pacts
Bilateral pacts have long been the administration’s preferred trade policy, but not any longer The weekly trade report with L.C. Bilateral pacts have been the Trump administration’s preferred policy from day one of its tenure. Bilateral pacts, by comparison with multilateral pacts, tend to promote protectionism – my nation and yours vs. the outsiders — […]
Latest US trade developments with China, Taiwan, Canada, and Europe
The weekly trade report with L.C. At the last minute, the US and China called off the six-month review of their Phase One Trade Agreement. The cancellation does not, however, appear to be a negative signal for the trade deal, still considered one of the few (perhaps only) bright spots in the darkening bilateral relationship. […]
With Kamala Harris, SF Democrats increase hold on Democratic Party
by Richard Schulman As with Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy in 2008, some conservatives entertain a hope that a Biden administration might bring improvements in US governance. Josef Joffe, conservative publisher-editor of the German weekly, Die Zeit, sees a decline of responsible leadership in the West. In earlier years, that abdication of international leadership made possible, […]
