Trade Representative – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with section 203(f) of the ATPA, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 3202(f)(2), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting the views of interested parties on whether the remaining designated beneficiary country (as of May 15, 2012), Ecuador, is meeting the eligibility criteria under the ATPA. (See 19 U.S.C. 3203 (b)(6)(B).) This information will be used in the preparation of a report to the Congress on the operation of the program.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on November 19, 2012, the People's Republic of China (``China'') requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning Public Law 112-99, ``An act to apply the countervailing duty provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 to nonmarket economy countries, and for other purposes'' (``Pub. L. 112-99''), and the countervailing and anti-dumping duty determinations and actions by the Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on imports of the products from China listed below. The panel request may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS449/2. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

Public Law 112-163 modified the rules of origin for certain textile and apparel goods of Parties to the CAFTA-DR Agreement. While these modifications were incorporated into the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (the ``HTS'') through the law, those modifications are not yet in effect. This notice announces that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined that the date on which the equivalent amendments to the rules of origin to the CAFTA-DR have entered into force in all other CAFTA-DR Parties is October 13, 2012, and that the modifications to the HTS pursuant to section 2 of Public Law 112-163 enter into force on that date.

The United States intends to commence negotiations with Mexico as part of the ongoing negotiations of a TPP trade agreement. Including Mexico in the TPP negotiations furthers the objective of achieving a high-standard, broad-based Asia-Pacific regional agreement. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking public comments on all elements related to Mexico's participation in the TPP negotiations in order to develop U.S. negotiating positions.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on May 25, 2012, the People's Republic of China (``China'') requested consultations with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning countervailing duty determinations and orders by the Department of Commerce (``DOC'') on imports of the products from China listed below. The request for consultations may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS437/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.