Recent events have shown that the EU is becoming increasingly protectionist in its policies and actions.  Despite the fact that President-elect Emmanuel Macron has emphasized France’s protectionist instincts for decades, they have remained strong. The Paris government, for example, reacted to the departure of the market-oriented British by advocating for policies that protect domestic champions from … Read More

The new strategy, which the Biden administration internally calls its “protect agenda,” is being rolled out this fall and winter in a series of executive actions. In October, the Commerce Department issued new rules aimed at cutting off Chinese firms’ ability to manufacture advanced computer chips. They will soon be followed by an executive order … Read More

Claims that the subsidies run counter to WTO rules are unlikely to have any impact on US policy. There has always been a latent protectionism in the US (as there has in the EU as well) and it is becoming more pronounced. Biden wants to shore up his support in blue-collar communities that see themselves … Read More

The World Trade Organization “is getting itself on very, very thin ice” by ruling that the US violated trade rules with Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs, Trade Representative Katherine Tai said, adding that the finding “challenges the integrity of the system.” The organization “should not get into the business of second-guessing the national-security decisions that … Read More

A number of free trade stalwarts are stepping down as this session comes to a close, from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) — himself a former U.S. Trade Representative. While there will still be plenty of free traders in Congress next term, a number of those market-expanding, tariff-lowering stalwarts will be … Read More

FREE TRADE NOSTALGIA IN CONGRESS: A number of free trade stalwarts are stepping down as this session comes to a close, from Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) — himself a former U.S. Trade Representative — in the Senate, to former House Ways and Means Chair Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and moderate Democrat Rep. … Read More

After reshoring and onshoring, friend-shoring is the latest wheeze of the Biden Administration; in practice, it’s a de facto and defunct American protectionist approach, which is launched under the veil of the new symbolism with support of the controversial legislation to steal away major allies’ high-tech production facilities and quality jobs. Cracking the tail end … Read More

Key assumptions of the theory and the econometric models used to calculate the impacts of trade are questionable. For example, the standard Global Trade Analysis Project econometric model assumes perfect competition with no single producer having any measurable impact on market prices or costs. But that certainly isn’t true in such cases as Boeing and … Read More

Chinese experts said the US’ selfish and arrogant attitude is further proof that the Biden administration has not abandoned the “America First” policy and is pursuing unilateralism and protectionism, which has seriously disrupted the functioning of the global trading system. They called on other countries to pay attention to the US’ destructive attempts and put … Read More

If there were any hope President Joe Biden would undo his predecessor’s divisive trade tariffs that caused upheaval in the global steel and aluminum markets, it all but evaporated Friday. The US Trade Representative issued a strong rebuke of the World Trade Organization’s decision that former President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel imports and … Read More