trade_policy

MILWAUKEE – November 07, 2026 -- Democrats' recapture of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections will hand them control of the tax-writing committees in the new year, but Wipfli advisers expect the President's veto to confine enacted change to areas of bipartisan agreement.

Those areas include improved IRS services, housing, healthcare affordability, digital assets, retirement and domestic investment, according to Brian Coddington, senior manager at Wipfli. He advised businesses to track tax, AI, financial services, tariffs and healthcare together, because a change in one can carry operational and financial consequences beyond the tax function.

Shenzhen – November 05, 2026 -- More than 2,000 participants from government, business and media are expected at the 2026 APEC CEO Summit in Shenzhen on November 17-18, with companies from all 21 APEC economies confirming attendance, according to organizer CCPIT.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), China's national trade promotion body, hosts the summit as a core event of the 2026 APEC China Year. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting follows later in November, also in Shenzhen. Several APEC economy leaders will attend in person to deliver speeches or join panel discussions with Asia-Pacific executives.

WASHINGTON – October 29, 2026 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on imports of van-type trailers and subassemblies from China. The orders will remain in effect for at least five years, according to the American Trailer Manufacturers Coalition (ATMC), which filed the underlying petitions.

Commerce orders follow affirmative ITC injury finding on Sept. 25, 2026

The ATMC filed AD/CVD petitions with Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Nov. 20, 2025. The petitions targeted dumped and subsidized trailer products from Canada, China and Mexico. The ITC issued an affirmative final injury determination on all three countries on Sept. 25, 2026. Commerce had also made final affirmative determinations on dumping and subsidies for China.

Global – October 18, 2026 -- Asia-US West Coast container rates rose 4% last week to more than $8,100/FEU, while Asia-N. Europe prices fell 15% to $3,700/FEU, according to the Freightos Baltic Index. The split shows transpacific demand holding near peak-season levels as Asia-Europe volumes cool.

Transpacific rates stay at year highs on congestion and blanked sailings

East Coast rates were about level at $9,600/FEU. Resilient demand, a last push to move containers before the Golden Week holiday, and weather-driven Far East port congestion are keeping rates elevated. The absence of a tariff hike in late July may also have helped demand.

Some blanked sailings likely stem from congestion delays. Carriers are also trimming capacity for the holiday period and for easing demand expected later in October as peak season ends. Analysis showing fewer cancellations than in recent years may reflect the relative strength of demand.

Washington – October 18, 2026 -- Container rates from Asia to the US West Coast rose 4% last week to $8,400/FEU, a new high for the year, according to the Freightos Baltic Index. East Coast prices held level at about $9,600/FEU, $200/FEU below the late-August peak. Resilient demand kept pressure on rates through month-end.

US-China truce extended two months, with tariff cuts on $30B of goods

The Trump-Xi meeting in Washington extended last year's US-China trade truce by two months. The truce was set to expire on November 10. The leaders also agreed to two more meetings before year-end. The deescalation likely postpones US port call fees on China-linked vessels, though the USTR has not yet issued anything official.

Washington – October 16, 2026 -- The United States now produces just 1% of global aluminum, down from industry leadership 25 years ago, according to a study presented by economist Dr. Adam Hersh at an event hosted by the American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA).

Smelter count falls from 23 to four, none military-grade

In 2000, 23 primary aluminum smelters operated in the United States, against 10 in Canada. Four remain in the US, and none can produce military-grade aluminum. The last US smelter capable of making the high-purity aluminum required for many defense applications closed in 2022, leaving the country reliant on foreign sources.

Hersh, a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts, attributed the decline to foreign government subsidies and unfair trade policies. He called the loss of smelting capacity a market failure that exposes the US economy to supply chain disruption.

Washington – September 29, 2026 -- Widehall will convene its second annual American Growth Summit on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, gathering senior White House officials, members of Congress, and chief executives from Citi, NVIDIA, Siemens, and Coinbase at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C. to address policy shaping America's economic trajectory.

Calgary – September 25, 2026 -- Friends of Science Society released a report by retired energy economist Robert Lyman, titled "Climate Monster - The Heavy Hand of Climate Regulation," arguing that Canada's net-zero policies rest on scenarios the climate modelling community formally retired in April 2026.

Ottawa's updated climate report reuses retired warming scenarios, group says

Environment and Climate Change Canada's "Canada's Changing Climate Report 2026" update prompted media claims that climate change is "irreversible." Friends of Science Society says the report continues to rely on the same implausible, high-emissions scenarios used in the 2019 version, which it argues triggered Canada's 2019 declaration of a climate emergency. The group had previously issued a rebuttal, "Climate Change Your Mind," challenging that earlier report's methodology.

New York City – September 24, 2026 -- The Trans-Atlantic Cotton Partnership (TACP), a new trade initiative shipping traceable U.S.-grown cotton directly to African manufacturers, launched during the UN General Assembly in New York City before private sector, investor, and government representatives.

Lesotho's Prime Minister Frames TACP as Industrial Bridge Between Continents

Prime Minister Sam Matekane delivered the keynote address, describing the initiative as an opportunity to build a productive industrial relationship connecting the U.S. and Africa beyond a simple cotton trading arrangement.

Bonn – September 16, 2026 -- Germany's widely cited 135% pork self-sufficiency rate masks a shortfall of roughly 20% in premium cuts such as loins, fillets and ham, according to the Bundesverband Rind und Schwein e.V.

Premium cuts make up only 60% of the carcass, and domestic supply falls short

A pig carcass yields so-called "Edelteile" -- loins, fillets and ham -- for roughly 60% of total weight, while the remainder consists of fatty and bacon-heavy cuts along with heads, feet and other trimmings. Market experts estimate the self-sufficiency rate for premium cuts alone sits at approximately 80%, meaning the remaining domestic demand must be covered through imports.