In testimony in Canada's House of Commons, former government chief negotiator Steve Verheul told politicians that there is no surge in Canadian aluminum exports to the U.S., so a return to 10% tariffs on Canadian exports is not warranted. He said the product mix shifted, but the total exports are not up.

Chile, Singapore and New Zealand recently signed an agreement to improve trade cooperation and streamline customs procedures in the digital economy, a July 7 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The deal, signed last month, requires the three countries to make all trade administration documents available online and establishes a single window through which companies can submit import and export documents “through a single entry point,” the HKTDC said. The agreement also improves a range of customs measures, including expedited processing for express shipments, where the countries’ customs authorities will release certain goods with minimum documentation. The authorities will also release certain express shipments within six hours of receiving the required customs documents regardless of the shipment’s weight or value, the report said, and allow a single submission of information for all goods contained in an express shipment.

United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss said negotiations with the U.S. on a free trade agreement so far have been “positive and constructive,” and she sees a way forward for the deal. “I think it is possible to protect our red lines, protect our regulatory independence, whilst opening markets,” she said.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Kenya Secretary for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina released a joint statement on the formal launch of free trade negotiations.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised the beginning of U.S.-Kenya trade talks July 7 in Nairobi. Scott Eisner, president of the U.S.-Africa Business Center at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued a statement that said: “A deepening U.S.-Kenya commercial relationship will benefit the U.S., Kenya, and the entire African continent. It is our hope that when complete, the agreement will not only be the first of its kind between the U.S. and a sub-Saharan African country, but also lay the groundwork to strengthen and deepen our relationships with economies across the continent by providing the necessary legal protections and enduring, reciprocal trade. With the African Growth and Opportunity Act set to expire in 2025, a Kenya free trade agreement will provide American businesses the certainty they need to continue investing in this growing market.”

A letter from 41 trade groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council, and others in information technology, apparel, agriculture and pharmaceuticals -- asks both Chinese and American lead negotiators to “redouble efforts to implement all aspects of the Agreement, including purchases of U.S. manufactured goods, energy products, services, and agricultural goods, where implementation seems to be lagging.”

The Australia-Indonesia trade agreement took July 5, eliminating or reducing tariffs on 99% of Australian exports, Australia's trade ministry said that day. The deal is expected to provide a range of new export opportunities for Australian farmers and companies, especially in the agriculture, education, tourism, energy and mining sectors, the ministry said. Exports of meat, dairy and horticulture will specifically benefit, and grain exporters will be able to ship 500,000 tons of wheat and barley to Indonesia tariff-free, it said. “This is the most comprehensive bilateral trade agreement Indonesia has ever signed, and will give our exporters a competitive edge in what is one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” Australia's Federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement.

Testimony by Liz Truss, the United Kingdom's international trade secretary, revealed that no chapters have been closed yet in negotiations with the U.S., and suggests that barriers to U.S. exports of poultry and beef and price controls on pharmaceutical drugs continue to be sensitive areas for the British. Truss was updating Parliament about the second round of negotiations on a free trade agreement with the U.S.

Twelve countries, including China, vowed to continue refraining from imposing export controls and other trade restrictions that would damage global supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The July 2 joint statement, issued by China’s Commerce Ministry and signed by Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Uruguay and others, said, “it is in our mutual interest to ensure that trade lines remain open, including via air and sea freight, to facilitate the flow of goods.” The countries said they recognize “the importance of refraining from the imposition of export controls or tariffs and non-tariff barriers,” and that existing restrictions on medical supplies should be removed.

European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said although it's not easy managing the trade relationship with the U.S., the EU and U.S. are still talking. “We’ve resumed conversations with the U.S. some weeks ago,” he said. “We’re up for a small confidence-building deal with the United States -- we have a lot of things we agree on. We’re waiting for the timing when President [Donald] Trump has made up his mind whether he wants to have a deal or not. If he does, we’re ready.”