GHY Tradelines

(China Daily)

China won a World Trade Organization ruling after the United States decided not to contest the facts of its complaint against U.S. anti-dumping duties on shipments of diamond saw blades and frozen warm-water shrimp from China.

China’s complaint, which it made in February 2011, was based on the fact that the U.S. anti-dumping duties were calculated in a way that has repeatedly been ruled as illegal under WTO rules. The WTO dispute panel that examined the case said the US Department of Commerce had acted inconsistently with WTO rules and said it should bring its rules into line.

The United States has said that its calculation method, known as “zeroing”, is superior to the WTO’s approved methodology, but it has nevertheless promised not to use it in future, after losing numerous legal rulings over the issue. Read more here.

(Ross Marowits – Canadian Press)

Free and open trade, rather than protectionism, is the best way to secure a global recovery and create jobs, International Trade Minister Ed Fast told a Montreal economic conference Wednesday.

In a speech to the International Economic Forum of the Americas, Fast said Canada must improve its access to growing markets around the world, particularly in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. Canada’s government also hopes to conclude the world’s largest free-trade agreement with the European Union by the end of this year, he added. […]

Fast said they used “fear-mongering and falsehood” when they attempted to block the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, the follow-up NAFTA accord that added Mexico to the mix, and now Canada’s negotiations with the European Union. Read more here.
 

(CBC via Huffington Post)

Automakers are breaking U.S. law in order to prevent Canadians from buying cheaper cars there, according to an Ottawa trade lawyer and anti-trust expert, by ordering their American licensed dealerships not to sell new cars to Canadians.

The big five automakers — Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota — fear they could lose their Canadian franchises if people were crossing the border to buy their vehicles, says Michael Hart, who holds the Simon Reisman chair in trade policy at Carleton University.

This forces Canadians to buy from dealerships north of the border, where prices tend to be thousands of dollars higher. Read more here.
 

American Shipper, in partnership with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), surveyed roughly 275 transportation buyers and sellers on procurement practices, processes, technologies and results. Click Here to register for this free Webinar.

This Webinar will focus on some of key findings and provide actionable guidance on how to leverage technology and other solutions to optimize transportation procurement.

Key discussion points will include:

• Year over year changes in transportation rates and spending
• Timing of procurement events and length of negotiations
• Price re-emerges as the number one concern among buyers
• Procurement automation platforms and technology
• Centralization of the procurement process

Expert panelists include:

• Fabrizio Brasca, vice president, global logistics, JDA Software Group, Inc.
• Matthew Harding, principal, transportation practice, Chainalytics, LLC

Click here to register for the live broadcast on June 27th!
 

(Hank Daniszewski – LFP)

A long-awaited announcement on the construction of a second bridge linking Detroit and Windsor will help break a costly bottleneck for Ontario manufacturers.

The deal to build the $1-billion project will be announced Friday in Windsor and Detroit, on opposite sides of the busiest Canada-U.S. border crossing.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to attend the Windsor news conference.

The bridge would be jointly owned by governments on both sides of the border, but the deal will likely involve Ottawa footing Michigan’s $550-million share and recovering the money from the state’s share of bridge tolls. Read more here.
 

(CFIA)

This notice is to remind importers and brokers that phase 9 implementation of the changes to import notification requirements for products in the non-federally registered food sector will come into effect on June 25, 2012.

Annex 1 of the Notice to Importers and Brokers – Phase 9 on the CFIA website has been updated to include the OGD extension codes for the commodities relevant to this phase.
 

(Journal of Commerce – Peter T. Leach)

Carriers have been able to hold onto most of the rate increases implemented this year on the trade

Average spot rates on the eastbound trans-Pacific trade surged by 20% this week as carriers put a peak-season surcharge into effect on June 10.

The Drewry benchmark rate for shipping a 40-foot container from Hong Kong to Los Angeles rose to $2,700 per FEU this week from the level of $2,250 per FEU last week. Read more here.