The US is free to “insist” that the WTO hear a dispute over high-technology import duties after the EU blocked its request for WTO arbitration.
After the EU move, “the United States is able to insist that a panel be established at the next DSB [dispute settlements body] meeting,” a senior US Trade Representative (USTR) official told reporters.
The comment came after the WTO said on Friday that the EU had blocked a joint request by the US, Japan and Taiwan for the Geneva-based body to settle the dispute.
The US and the two Asian countries claim that the EU is violating trade rules by imposing duties on imports of certain products such as “cable boxes that can access the Internet, flat-panel computer monitors, and certain computer printers that can also scan, fax and/or copy.”
The EU exercised its right under WTO rules to block the request for the dispute settlements body. If the parties renew their request, it would be automatically adopted at the DSB’s next meeting.
“Once a panel is established, panel members will be selected and the timetable for the panel process will be set. We are consulting with our co-complainants as we move forward,” the official said.
A WTO Information Technology Agreement signed in 1996 prohibits duties on certain high-technology products.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said earlier this month that “we believe that these duties are inconsistent with the EU’s commitments on these products and that they discourage technological innovation in the IT sector.”
The popular Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) arbitrage trade might soon see a change in dynamics that could affect the trading of the US listing versus the local one. And for anyone who wants to monetize the elevated premium, Goldman Sachs Group Inc highlights potential trades. A note from the bank’s sales desk published on Friday said that demand for TSMC’s Taipei-traded stock could rise as Taiwan’s regulator is considering an amendment to local exchange-traded funds’ (ETFs) ownership. The changes, which could come in the first half of this year, could push up the current 30 percent single-stock weight limit
EARLY TALKS: Measures under consideration include convincing allies to match US curbs, further restricting exports of AI chips or GPUs, and blocking Chinese investments US President Donald Trump’s administration is sketching out tougher versions of US semiconductor curbs and pressuring key allies to escalate their restrictions on China’s chip industry, an early indication the new US president plans to expand efforts that began under former US president Joe Biden to limit Beijing’s technological prowess. Trump officials recently met with their Japanese and Dutch counterparts about restricting Tokyo Electron Ltd and ASML Holding NV engineers from maintaining semiconductor gear in China, people familiar with the matter said. The aim, which was also a priority for Biden, is to see key allies match China curbs the US
Teleperformance SE, the largest call-center operator in the world, is rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI) system that softens English-speaking Indian workers’ accents in real time in a move the company claims would make them more understandable. The technology, called accent translation, coupled with background noise cancelation, is being deployed in call centers in India, where workers provide customer support to some of Teleperformance’s international clients. The company provides outsourced customer support and content moderation to global companies including Apple Inc, ByteDance Ltd’s (字節跳動) TikTok and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. “When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard
‘SACRED MOUNTAIN’: The chipmaker can form joint ventures abroad, except in China, but like other firms, it needs government approval for large investments Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) needs government permission for any overseas joint ventures (JVs), but there are no restrictions on making the most advanced chips overseas other than for China, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. US media have said that TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp, has been in talks for a stake in Intel Corp. Neither company has confirmed the talks, but US President Donald Trump has accused Taiwan of taking away the US’ semiconductor business and said he wants the industry back
RSS