Korea Strengthens Enforcement of Fishing Laws After USTR Pressure
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative lauded the passage of amendments to a South Korean law regulating fishing. The announcement, issued Nov. 1, noted that the U.S. has opened consultations under the two countries' free trade agreement about whether Korea was doing enough to deter ships from its countries from violating conservation measures for Antarctic fish (see 1909200046).
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“This action demonstrates that the Trump Administration’s strong commitment to using tools such as environmental monitoring and enforcement provisions under our trade agreements can produce real results that help protect and conserve our ocean resources," the USTR said in the press release. It noted that there have been only four times that the U.S. has invoked environmental chapters with trading partners, and all four times have happened during this administration.
This is a signal to House Democrats, who have complained that environmental issues have been given only lip service in U.S. trade policy. They are negotiating with USTR over how to strengthen environmental provisions in the NAFTA rewrite, among other issues.