FEATURED
Brazil takes US Section 301 duties to the WTO
Consultations request circulated on Thursday targets both the 25 per cent country action and the 12.5 per cent forced-labour tariff, which together lift duties on some Brazilian goods to 37.5 per cent.
Latest Official News
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Singapore and Brazil deepen economic ties as MERCOSUR-Singapore Free Trade Agreement enters into forceIndonesia
August 2026: CPO Reference Price Declines, Export Prices for Cocoa Beans, Pine Resin, and Wood Products RiseBr
Deliberations of the 239th GECEX MeetingIndonesia
Indonesia Sets Export Reference Price and Benchmark Price for Gold, Period I August 2026 – Both DeclineEu
EU Extends Suspension of Rebalancing Measures Against the United StatesJapan
Temporary suspension of imports of live pigs and pork from FinlandTOP STORIES
War chokes fertiliser trade; export curbs hit quarter of global supply
WTO finds shipments through Hormuz still near zero five months on, with 18 economies, seven of them least developed, most exposed. Fertiliser shipments out of the Persian Gulf have been close to zero since the Strait of Hormuz closed in the opening weeks of the conflict, and had not resumed on any stable basis by…
Indonesia’s parliament clears Russian FTA and three ASEAN deals
Jakarta will bring the agreements into force by presidential regulation, a lighter instrument than the statutes used for RCEP and the Australia pact. A parliamentary commission in Jakarta approved the ratification of four trade agreements on Tuesday, clearing the way for Indonesia to bring into force a free trade deal with the five-member Eurasian Economic…
Brasília answers Washington as 25% tariffs take effect
Brazil’s rebuttal disputes every part of the Section 301 finding, but its stated remedies run through a dispute system that cannot deliver. Brazil has published a heading-by-heading rebuttal of the United States case against it and begun preparing countermeasures, after Washington imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Brazilian goods at the close of a year-long…
TRADE POLICY
US drops Scotch whisky tariffs to zero under UK trade deal
The US has eliminated tariffs on whisky from the UK with effect from July 24, restoring duty-free access to the Scotch industry’s largest export market under the agreement reached during the King’s state visit to Washington in April.
Canada and UAE conclude trade pact talks eight months after launch
Canada and the United Arab Emirates have concluded negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, closing out in roughly eight months what Ottawa described as among the fastest trade negotiations it has ever completed.
Philippines concludes first Latin American trade deal with Chile
Manila and Santiago have wrapped up negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership aimed at securing copper for the country’s electronics industry
Trump revives 1930 tariff law in strike on Canadian goods
Canada’s most senior trade officials briefed business and labour leaders in Ottawa this week on Washington’s decision to invoke a tariff power that has lain unused since the 1940s, opening a new front in a dispute that has already outlasted the North American trade pact’s renewal deadline.
SEA AND REGIONS
US threatens 25% tariffs on Brazil over digital, ethanol disputes
The United States on Monday proposed imposing 25 per cent tariffs on most imports from Brazil, escalating a year-long trade probe into Latin America’s largest economy while sparing two of its most valuable exports to the American market.
Kemendag Signals Compliance Steps in DS593 Implementation Review
Indonesia’s trade ministry outlines adjustments it argues address the panel findings, as the complainant reserves its position on conformity.
Korean National Assembly Begins KO-Gulf FTA Ratification Process
Domestic ratification opens, shifting attention from negotiated text to the timeline for entry into force and tariff staging.
Paraguay Seeks Above-Bound TRQ on Beef Under Proclamation 11010 Framework
Asuncion presses for expanded quota access, testing the administrative flexibility of an existing tariff-rate quota proclamation.
COMMODITIES
Crude Palm Oil Export Levy Adjustment: BPDPKS Signals Tiered Rate Structure
The fund management agency is consulting on a reference-price-linked levy schedule intended to smooth grower receipts while protecting biodiesel financing.
ICE Robusta Spreads Widen as EUDR Compliance Costs Filter Into Q3 Contracts
Traders are pricing a deforestation-regulation premium into nearby robusta as origin documentation requirements tighten ahead of the application date.
Indonesia Nickel Ore Export Ban Faces Fresh DS592 Compliance Scrutiny
A compliance review reopens questions about how Jakarta has responded to the panel findings on its raw nickel export restrictions.
SUSTAINABILITY
EUDR Country Risk Classification Methodology Released: Indonesia, Malaysia Risk High-Risk Designation
The Commission’s published methodology leans on deforestation-rate and governance proxies; producer states warn a high-risk label would impose disproportionate due diligence on already-compliant supply.
CBAM Default Values Update: Embedded Carbon Charges Rise for Steel, Aluminum, Cement
Revised default emissions factors lift the implied charge on importers that cannot supply verified installation-level data, sharpening the incentive to obtain primary measurements.
RED III Annex IX Review Opens: Intermediate Crops Face Tightened Sustainability Criteria
The review reopens the eligible-feedstock list, with intermediate and sequential crops in focus; obligated parties face possible recalibration of advanced-biofuel eligibility.
ANALYSIS
PIIE: How Trump’s 2025 trade war affected US-China decoupling
US import sourcing shifted rapidly away from China for tariff-exempt electronics such as smartphones and laptops, as multinationals quickly pivoted to India and Vietnam, but reorientation was slower for non-exempt goods like clothing and footwear.
Brookings: Export restrictions don’t solve scarcity, they redistribute it
Export restrictions imposed during supply disruptions do not resolve scarcity but shift it onto import-dependent countries, amplifying global price increases and eroding confidence in international markets as a source of resilience.
PALM OIL MONITOR
EU MOAH Notification G/SPS/N/EU/930 Triggers Stakeholder Comment Frenzy
A draft measure on mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons in food has drawn an unusually heavy comment docket from edible oil exporters.
Malaysian MSPO Certification Reaches Smallholder Threshold, MPOB Reports
The board reports a milestone in independent smallholder certification, though verification depth and market recognition remain open questions.
EUDR Geolocation Pilot: Traceability Gaps Persist in Independent Supply
Field pilots show polygon mapping works at estate scale but still breaks down in aggregated independent smallholder channels.
ISPO Revision Decree Tightens Legality Verification for Plantation Permits
A revised presidential instrument strengthens the legality basis of the Indonesian scheme, with implications for permit-disputed estates.
Think Tank Latest
PIIE
PIIE: How Trump’s 2025 trade war affected US-China decouplingUS import sourcing shifted rapidly away from China for tariff-exempt electronics such as smartphones and laptops, as multinationals quickly pivoted to India and Vietnam, but reorientation was slower for non-exempt goods like clothing and footwear.
Brookings
Brookings: Export restrictions don’t solve scarcity, they redistribute itExport restrictions imposed during supply disruptions do not resolve scarcity but shift it onto import-dependent countries, amplifying global price increases and eroding confidence in international markets as a source of resilience.
ASPI Strategist
ASPI Strategist: The Quad is still treating critical minerals as a mining problemThe Quad's critical minerals framework correctly identifies supply-chain vulnerabilities but remains too focused on extraction rather than the processing capacity, market mechanisms, and industrial coordination that underpinned China's strategic dominance.
Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council: What the latest US sanctions bill means for RussiaThe bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act, which would impose sweeping new sanctions and tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil, carries significant risks if implemented without careful calibration, particularly regarding its effects on China, India, and Iran.