Congressional Research Service Reports - 79 Matching Results
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- World Trade Organization: Overview and Future Direction
- This report provides background history of the World Trade Organization (WTO), its organization, and current status of negotiations. It also explores concerns regarding the WTO's future direction and key policy issues for Congress.
- The Made in China 2025 Initiative: Economic Implications for the United StatesWayne M. Morrison,
- This report explains the Chinese government's "Made in China 2025" (MIC 2025) initiative, why it has generated concern among U.S. policymakers and stakeholders, and the Section 301 case against China and MIC 2025.
- Tricks of the Trade: Section 301 Investigation of Chinese Intellectual Property Practices Concludes (Part 2)
- This report is the part two of two of a report on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recently concluded its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the "Section 301 Investigation") "to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce." This part of the report applies the general legal framework to this specific Section 301 Investigation, providing background on the investigation, describing the USTR's findings and the President's directives, and concluding by addressing what legal issues lie ahead.
- TPP Countries Conclude Agreement Without U.S. Participation
- This report discusses the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and the successful conclusion of negotiations between the party countries after the U.S. withdrawal from negotiations.
- Tricks of the Trade: Section 301 Investigation of Chinese Intellectual Property Practices Concludes (Part 1)
- This report discusses the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recent investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation were unreasonable or discriminatory and burdening or restricting U.S. commerce and President Trumps's memorandum in response.
- The Pacific Alliance: A Trade Integration Initiative in Latin America
- This report provides an overview of the structure of the Pacific Alliance, events leading up to its creation, and the economic significance of the Member countries.
- International Trade and Finance: Key Policy Issues for the 114th Congress, 2nd Session
- This report provides a brief overview of some of the trade and finance issues that may come before the second session of the 114th Congress.
- Iran, Gulf Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses issues regarding Iran's political history and structure. It also takes a look at economic and defense policy responses for Congress, specifically focusing on Iran's nuclear capabilities.
- Financing the U.S. Trade Deficit: Role of Foreign Governments
- This report provides an overview of the role of foreign governments on financing the U.S. trade deficit.
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
- This report describes what the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (C.F.I.U.S.) and how the organization operates.
- Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report is about a free trade agreement between the United States and Bahrain.
- China-U.S. Trade Issues
- No Description Available.
- Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization: An Overview
- This report provides an overview of the Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization. Dispute resolution in the World Trade Organization is carried out under the WTO dispute settlement understanding whose rules apply to virtually all WTO agreements.
- Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues
- This report discusses the proposed U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, also called the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CFTA),which is a bilateral free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia which, if ratified, would eliminate tariffs and other barriers in goods and services between the two countries.
- Agriculture in the Next Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
- This report discusses the objective of agricultural negotiations in the World Trade Organizations (WTO) in 2001 to create trade reform. The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) established a new set of rules for the conduct of agricultural trade that the report also considers.
- Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements
- This report identifies two types of enforcement issues: (1) those that relate to the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) provisions themselves, including their definitions and their enforceability, and (2) those that relate to executive branch responsibilities, such as resource availability and determining dispute settlement case priorities.
- Agricultural Biotechnology: Overview and Selected Issues
- This report considers the issues surrounding genetically engineered (GE) crops or GMO's (genetically modified organisms). Moreover, the report debates the consequences of GE crops on the environment, food safety, and labeling. The report also debates the merits of regulation on the market the crops have entered.
- Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs
- This report discusses projected agricultural imports and exports for FY2002, as well as legislation that deals with federal programs in support of agricultural exports and federal aid dedicated to farms and agricultural reform.
- Generalized System of Preferences Renewal: Agricultural Imports
- No Description Available.
- Defense Trade Security Initiative: Background and Status
- This report gives the background on the DTSI and discusses associated congressional actions that are reflected in the Security Assistance Act of 2000.
- Hemispheric Free Trade: Status, Hurdles, and Opposition
- No Description Available.
- Emerging Markets: Is Slower Growth Temporary?
- This report discusses the growing vulnerabilities Emerging market (EM) countries are facing due to declining global trade, depreciating currencies, sharply lower commodity prices, volatile equity markets, and deeper economic reforms.
- Cargo Preferences for U.S.-Flag Shipping
- This report explains the motivation behind cargo preference law, discusses issues concerning the cost-effectiveness of the program, and reviews attempts to apply cargo preference to the nation's oil trade. The report also identifies several disparate bills reflecting wide disagreement on the future direction of cargo preference policy.
- U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones: Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) Proposal
- This report provides an introduction to U.S. Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ). The report discusses the details of the Trade Agreement Parity (TAP) proposal, the potential winners and losers under the TAP proposal, economic studies on the TAP proposal, and policy analysis on the TAP proposal.
- China's Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues
- This report summarizes the main findings in CRS Report RL32165, China's Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy. Although China made modest reforms to its currency policy in 2005, resulting in a modest appreciation of its currency, many Members of Congress contend the reforms have not gone far enough and have warned of potential legislative action.
- Economic Crisis in Greece
- This report briefly discusses the current economic situation in Greece. Questions about whether Greece will stay in the Eurozone have resurfaced, as the government's stalemate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Eurozone creditors has reached a critical point.
- U.S.-Vietnam Relations in 2009: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
- This report provides an overview of U.S. relations with Vietnam, including policy issues, the economic and political situation in Vietnam, and a list of pertinent legislation.
- U.S.-Vietnam Economic and Trade Relations: Issues for the 111th Congress
- This report will examine each of these trade issues, discussing their main elements and exploring their implications for the 111th Congress. This will be followed by an analysis of key trends in bilateral trade to discern any potential sources of trade friction in the future.
- China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
- This report addresses relevant policy questions in current U.S.-China relations, discusses trends and key legislation in the current Congress, and provides a chronology of developments and high-level exchanges.
- WTO Dispute Settlement: Status of U.S. Compliance in Pending Cases
- This report provides a summary of the status of U.S. compliance efforts in pending World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes that have resulted in adverse rulings against the United States. The report contains an overview of WTO dispute settlement procedures, a discussion of U.S. laws relating to WTO dispute proceedings, and a list of pending WTO disputes compliance phase, with a discussion of major issues and the U.S. compliance history in each.
- The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources
- This report examines the original intent and purpose of the Berry Amendment and legislative proposals to amend the application of domestic source restrictions, as well as options for Congress.
- Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods and the WTO Trade Dispute on Meat Labeling
- This report covers the dispute between the U.S with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, who say that the recent country-of-origin labeling (COOL) system implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is unfair and does not meet its original objectives. This dispute was brought before the WTO dispute panel and found to be valid. The report ends with a discussion of options for the U.S. in regards to modifying COOL to follow WTO rulings.
- Trade Law: An Introduction to Selected International Agreements and U.S. Laws
- This report is an introductory overview of the legal framework governing trade-related measures. The agreements and laws selected for discussion are those most commonly implicated by U.S. trade interests, but there are U.S. trade obligations beyond those reviewed in this report.
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
- This report discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). CFIUS is an interagency committee that serves the President in overseeing the national security implications of foreign investment in the economy. Originally established by an Executive Order of President Ford in 1975, the committee generally has operated in relative obscurity.
- China-U.S. Trade Issues
- This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, both with respect to the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
- U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts
- This report discusses the U.S. trade deficit in light of the 2008 global financial crisis, with emphasis on international trade and U.S. trade policy, most recent developments in trade of goods and service, trade forecasts for the future, and how issues such as the U.S. trade deficit and international trade, particularly with China, are commonly perceived.
- The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
- This report gives a brief overview of P.L. 110-49, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. Although both the President and Congress are directly involved in formulating the scope and direction of U.S. foreign investment policy, this law broadens Congress' oversight role; it also explicitly includes the areas of homeland security and critical infrastructure as separately-identifiable components of national security that the President must consider when evaluating the national security implications of a foreign investment transaction.
- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Countries: Comparative Trade and Economic Analysis
- This report focuses primarily on U.S. economic interests in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. It provides a comparative economic analysis of the countries currently negotiating the TPP and describes the U.S. trade flows with these countries at the bilateral level and in relation to the countries' economic linkages with the rest of the world. It also provides information on the existing trade agreements of TPP countries. As such, this report aims to serve as an introduction to the economic relationship these countries have, both individually and collectively, with the United States.
- Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990
- This report, updated through the 113th Congress, discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan (calling itself Republic of China (ROC)), including policy issues for Congress and legislation.
- The Exon-Florio National Security Test for Foreign Investment
- This report covers the recent background of the Exon-Florio provision with special regards to issues faced in the 112th Congress. The Exon-Florio provision grants the President the authority to block proposed or pending foreign acquisitions of "persons engaged in interstate commerce in the United States" that threaten to impair the national security.
- U.S. International Investment Agreements: Issues for Congress
- This report provides an overview of U.S. international investment agreements, focusing specifically on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs). It discusses key trends in U.S. and international investment flows, governance structures for investment at the bilateral and multilateral levels, the goals and basic components of investment provisions in U.S. international investment agreements, the outcomes of the Administration's Model BIT review, and key policy issues for Congress.
- The U.S. Trade Deficit, The Dollar, and The Price of Oil
- This report analyzes the relationship between the dollar and the price of oil and how the two might interact. This report provides an assessment of the impact a range of prices of imported oil could have on the U.S. trade deficit.
- Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements
- This report identifies two types of labor enforcement issues related to Free Trade Agreements approved by Congress: (1) those that relate to the FTA provisions themselves, including their definitions and their enforceability, and (2) those that relate to executive branch responsibilities, such as resource availability and determining dispute settlement case priorities. This report does not address other labor issues in the various free trade agreements, including cooperative consultation provisions.
- Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990
- Report that discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation.
- Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and Bahrain's relationship with the United States.
- China-U.S. Trade Issues
- This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, both with respect to the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
- Arab League Boycott of Israel
- This report briefly discusses the Arab League's boycott of Israeli companies and Israeli-made goods since Israel's founding in 1948, as well as U.S. efforts to end the boycott and prevent U.S. firms in participating in the boycott.
- North Korea: Legislative Basis for U.S. Economic Sanctions
- This report discusses the economic sanctions the United States imposes on North Korea for activities related to weapons proliferation, destabilizing the region, anti-terrorism, and undemocratic governance.
- Financing the U.S. Trade Deficit: Role of Foreign Governments
- The nation's trade deficit is equal to the imbalance between national investment and national saving. The financial turmoil and economic contraction during 2008 reduced the gap between national saving and investment. The result was a decline in the trade deficit and the net inflow of capital. If total net capital inflows decline, mainstream economics suggests, all else held constant, that the dollar and trade deficit would decline, U.S. interest rates would rise, and U.S. spending on capital goods and consumer durables would fall, all else equal.
- Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
- China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations.