International Trade in the Time of COVID-19

ONSTITUTIONALISM, TRADE, SOCIAL JUSTICE,
& SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AMERICAS:
Lessons from the 2020 Global Pandemic
International Trade in the Time of COVID-19

Even prior to the COVID-19 crisis, international trade and supply chains were stressed. Unilateral actions by governments, under the guise of national security, resulted in the use of tariffs at rates not seen since before the 1945 Bretton Woods agreements. Specifically, the trade war between the U.S. and China is not new, having been the topic of several WTO disputes around Chinese dumping of steel and tires into the U.S. market. However, in the last four years, the U.S. has taken a unilateral approach in addressing its challenges with China which has infiltrated in other areas of trade, such as the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) resulting in the ratification of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) (USMCA, Art, 32.10 on negotiating with a non-market economy). The Pandemic has worsened trade relations more generally, as countries use export restrictions to limit exporting necessary medical equipment and masks, stressing the flow of these goods across international supply chains. This discussion will address these issues, consider the future of international trade in this climate, and examine areas for reform in the trade legal framework that better addresses global crises and reinvigorates collaboration.

March 18
10-11am US CST; 16:00 – 17:00 Rome