Will this help with US s301 forced labour investigation tariffs? ministers.ag.gov.au/media-centre...

US relaxes export controls on advanced chips and drones for UAE ft.trib.al/YoysSKw

I suppose there's no chance Australia would file a complaint under the AUSFTA?

Thanks to @simonlester.com post on governments' comments to the US's consultations on its 301 force labour investigations ielp.worldtradelaw.net/2026/07/gove... - here's the comments that Australia submitted - comments.ustr.gov/s/commentdet... 1/2

I wrote a summary of the new Bill that would require Australia to advocate for certain issues in trade negotiations, prohibit certain outcomes, and create new transparency requirements (subject to a narrow scope...) open.substack.com/pub/tradenot...

As always, @matt_levine's take on the OpenAI 5% offer to the USG is the best take. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...

Not much too surprising in DFAT's Trade 2040 Taskforce Report, but the AI section is trying to walk some fine lines between regulation and investment positioning. Also IPEF is still a thing in the Report at least. www.dfat.gov.au/publications...

Australia's Trade and Investment Agreements (Consultation) Bill 2026 will reform negotiation of FTAs/BITs. Some interesting design choices, eg scope, it prohibits signing agreements that have ISDS (among other things), and requires independent analysis of agreements. www.dfat.gov.au/news/news/tr...

CPTPP Ministerial Statement: working on Costa Rica's accession instrument, Uruguay's AWG advancing, discussions starting w/ UAE, Philippines and Indonesia, new working group on ROOs, custom admin and trade facilitation (with reference to circumvention). www.gov.uk/government/p...

IPEF is still a thing: IPEF members (but not the US) discuss response to supply chain disruptions caused by Middle East crisis (although Korea's chairing of the supply chain body is coming to an end so will be interesting to see who takes up the baton) www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffai...

Argentina seeking to join the CPTPP - www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Conclusion of negotiations of ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement announced - signing aimed for November of this year asean2026.gov.ph/post/view/?t...

CPTPP ISDS dispute with Mexico progresses with claimant Almaden filing Reply, including increase in damage claim to US$2.68 billion static1.squarespace.com/static/5ed92...

IPEF is still a thing - "IPEF members discuss response to supply chain disruptions caused by Middle East crisis" (although only nine members participated) en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...

As foreshadowed by @chrishorseman.bsky.social (borderlex.net/2026/05/14/e...) - RCEP members had a “dialogue” with CPTPP members at APEC this week - asean.org/secretary-ge.... Yet to see anything from CPTPP members on this.

Singapore-NZ’s Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies is now signed and the text is public: www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/nz-...

The 10th meeting of Chief Negotiators of China's DEPA Accession Working Group met this week in Korea: www-mofcom-gov-cn.translate.goog/xwfb/rcxwfb/...

Australia and Singapore have signed a Protocol on Economic Resilience and Essential Supplies - www.trademinister.gov.au/minister/don... - it will be interesting to see the actual text. 1/3

IPEF is still a thing - "IPEF labor body lives, working on violation reporting tool, says Manila" | InsideTrade.com insidetrade.com/trade/ipef-l...

Singapore and Australia to establish an "Economic Resilience Dialogue" and conclude a protocol to their FTA on "Economic Resilience and Essential Supplies" (sounds like NZ-Singapore's AOTES www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/nz-...) - www.pm.gov.au/media/joint-...

Future of Investment and Trade Partnership (FIT-P) parties have issued a Joint Statement on Maintaining Open and Resilient Supply Chains, affirming their intent to keep supply chains open and refrain from new barriers in the context of the Hormuz closure www.mfat.govt.nz/en/media-and...

Aus Trade Minister at the National Press Club was asked about beef/lamb outcomes. His answer included reference to the broader value of Australia being seen to support rules-based "free and fair" trade: youtu.be/xag_sDj-GDU?...

Strange that the EU-CPTPP Joint Statement didn’t refer to this new digital trade negotiation policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/joint-m...

66 countries including Canada declare the joint statement initiative (JSI) on ecommerce an “interim” plurilateral agreement at WTO. Legally dubious, politically divisive. www.wto.org/english/news...

This is an intriguing announcement at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé. It doesn’t explain how the “interim arrangements” on e-commerce would work. Do participants just amend their domestic laws and regulations (as @politico.com ⬇️? Is there admin support? How would disputes be settled? 1/2

Aus-EU FTA has now been concluded, no texts released yet, but some useful info already released from both sides: www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreem...; policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-rel...;

Reports that ASEAN's Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) is getting closer to conclusion - "expected to wind up in the next few months and be signed by November" www.manilatimes.net/2026/03/11/b...

CPTPP's first SOM for 2026 opened this week in Hanoi. Vietnam's theme for the year is "Shared Visions – Shared Actions", and priorities include the CPTPP upgrade, accessions, and external dialogues vietnamnet.vn/en/first-sen...

Pretty crazy how important the blockade of a trade route is right now

Lots of interesting provisions in Indonesia's "Agreement on Reciprocal Trade" with the US ustr.gov/sites/defaul... But this one on not making digital services providers support news orgs is particularly interesting for Australia given upcoming reforms: piji.com.au/blog/news-ba...

"Costa Rica to reach CPTPP deal in 'few weeks,' trade minister says" asia.nikkei.com/editor-s-pic...

Australia's Carbon Leakage Review has found that carbon leakage is adequately addressed in short/medium term but has recommended a border carbon adjustment mechanism be introduced for commodities most at risk (starting with cement and clinker) www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-chan...

Australia's Trade Minister is off to Europe to talk EU-Australia FTA negotiations - www.trademinister.gov.au/minister/don...

Great post from @simonlester.com comparing the drafting of national security trade policy alignment provisions in recent US deals: ielp.worldtradelaw.net/2026/02/comp...

Lots of interesting things in this analysis of China’s AI registry, including a “China-ASEAN Legal Model” - an AI tool for “legal coordination and mutual recognition between China and ASEAN”. Also explicitly linked to RCEP (see Google translate of dsjfzj.gxzf.gov.cn/dtyw/t211636...).

Australia's Resources Minister says she does not "think it’s helpful to introduce tariffs" on China as part of the US's proposed Agreement on Trade and Critical Minerals, instead higher prices "should be based on high labour and environmental standards" www.afr.com/policy/forei...

I keep seeing claims that the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement uses a 'modular architecture' that lets parties pick 'modules as their systems mature'. But this just doesn't seem to be right?

Canada's Standing Committee on International Trade has also been considering the bill to implement the UK's CPTPP Accession this week - www.ourcommons.ca/committees/e... - including industry and departmental evidence

"Mexico approves the United Kingdom's accession protocol to the CPTPP" vtz.mx/legal-alerts... The Protocol will enter into force for Mexico 60 days after it notifies the Depositary of its ratification. This leaves just Canada as the only non-ratifying party.

ASEAN Digital Ministers recently adopted the Hanoi Digital Declaration - some interesting parts for those following digital trade including on AI as critical infrastructure, paperless trade, digital public infrastructure, and "strengthening collective safety efforts" on AI asean.org/wp-content/u...

"Trade ministry details plan for Việt Nam’s CPTPP chairmanship in 2026" vietnamnews.vn/economy/1764... - looks to be mostly administrative information at this stage

UK and Indonesia have signed an Economic Growth Partnership, focused on cooperation/info-sharing including on clean energy, digital trade and supply chain resilience www.gov.uk/government/p... also refers to Indonesia’s OECD and CPTPP ambitions

Interesting story suggesting revival of EU-Australia trade talks. Would require MEPs not to vote against Mercosur (very tight) and the world's second largest beef exporter to accept a quota far lower than that of the largest (and than given by the UK). Tricky. www.ft.com/content/85c5...

Substantive conclusion of discussions for Peru's accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement announced today. Accession Working Groups are underway for Canada, China and the UAE. El Salvador, Ukraine, Uruguay and Thailand are also in the queue. www.mti.gov.sg/newsroom/joi...

EU-Australia FTA getting very close to finish line www.news.com.au/finance/econ...

Interesting read on how US-China trade tensions are impacting South East Asia, looks at trade reallocation and trade rerouting: cepr.org/voxeu/column...

The release of Australian Government Cabinet records from 2005 today includes two trade-related minutes. The first on Australia's Trade Negotiating Agenda (recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetri...), the second on the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement (recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetri...)

The decision in Clive Palmer's first ISDS case against Australia is now public, this was a $300 billion claim that Palmer lost as the Tribunal found he was not a Singaporean investor (Palmer is seeking annulment): pcacases.com/web/sendAtta...

And the US launches Pax Silica, an initiative focused on AI, critical minerals, etc, supply chains with Australia, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UAE, the UK (and “guests” from Canada, EU, Taiwan and the OECD) www.state.gov/releases/off...

More detail on the October IPEF supply chain tabletop exercise including that it focused on critical minerals disruptions: biz.chosun.com/en/en-policy...