World Trade Organization

EU Ministers Give Commission Go-Ahead to Negotiate Trade Deal

PORTO, March 18 (AFP) - The European Union commission will negotiate for member states at the next round of world trade talks, French foreign trade minister Francois Huwart said. European trade commissioner Pascal Lamy will continue the negotiations he began at December's meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Seattle, Huwart said.

EU Trade Commissioner to Speed Up Talks with China

PORTO, Portugal, March 18 (AFP) - EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy said here Saturday he would go to Beijing this month in an attempt to speed up commerce talks between the European Union and China.

WTO to Rule on Ecuador Banana Sanctions

GENEVA (Reuters) - World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrators are due to rule on Friday whether Ecuador can impose sanctions on European Union goods worth up to $450 million a year over Brussels banana import policies, diplomats said.

US Calls in China""s Ambassador Over Taiwan Threats

By Elaine Monaghan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Angered by blunt Chinese threats against Taiwan as it prepares to elect a new president, the United States called in Ambassador Li Zhao Xing on Thursday to urge Beijing to tone down its rhetoric.

White House, Gephardt Work on China Trade Bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Clinton administration officials said on Friday they were studying proposals by House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt that could increase Democratic support for a market-opening trade pact with China.

WTO Delays Releasing Decision in Complaint By Canada Against France""s Ban on Asbestos

International Trade Reporter GENEVA--The World Trade Organization has announced a further delay in the circulation of a long-awaited dispute settlement panel ruling concerning Canada's challenge to a French ban on asbestos.

WTO Panel Finds for EU in U.S. Sanctions Row

Reuters | By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS - A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has found the United States broke trade rules by imposing sanctions on the European Union in a spat over trade in bananas, sources familiar with the case said on Thursday.

Gore to Lobby Lawmakers to Support China Trade

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - Vice President Al Gore will personally lobby lawmakers to support a landmark trade agreement with China despite opposition from his allies in organized labor, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Beijing Hints Trade Retaliation Against U.S.

Tribune News Services BEIJING, CHINA -- Any denial of permanent low-tariff trading rights by the U.S. Congress wouldn't deter China's resolve to join the World Trade Organization but could cause the United States to gamble away business opportunities for a generation, China's foreign trade minister said Monday.

U.S. Releases China Trade Text

AP Online / BY MARTIN CRUTSINGER WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration, under pressure from Congress, released the text of its landmark trade agreement with China on Tuesday and pledged intensive enforcement to ensure that China opens its markets.