The United Kingdom's International Trade Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, called on the G-7 to build resilience in critical supply chains for a post-pandemic world, the Department for International Trade said. Addressing G-7 trade ministers in London at their first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trevelyan also made the case against protectionism and pushed for "measures such as better monitoring and cooperation to quickly identify and address bottlenecks where they arise." At the G-7 meeting, the ministers are expected to agree to a set of Digital Trade Principles and issue a joint statement on forced labor.

The United Kingdom will hold its first International Trade Week, designed to showcase events and workshops available to all UK businesses hosted by "expert trade advisors, Parliamentarians and Ministers," the Department for International Trade said. DIT is encouraging companies looking to export for the first time to attend. Running Nov. 15-19, the trade week will provide advise to businesses looking to begin or expand their exporting operations and show that "businesses who export are more producing and pay their staff more," DIT said.

Countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development agreed to a ban on export credits for coal-fired electricity projects leading up to the COP26 summit, the European Union said Oct. 22. The goal for the implementation of the project is the end of this month, once all participating countries have finished their internal ratification processes. The European Commission cited its support since January for ending support for coal export credits as a driving force in its support of the new ban, also pointing to its Trade Policy Review proposal that called for an immediate end to export credit support for the entire coal-fired power sector.

The European Union amended the criteria for its Central African Republic sanctions regime, adding involvement in "planning, directing, sponsoring or committing acts in the CAR that violate international humanitarian law, including attacks against medical personnel or humanitarian personnel" to the criteria for adding individuals and entities to the list. The move aligns the EU's CAR sanctions criteria with those of the United Nations.

The United Kingdom and New Zealand agreed to a new trade deal following 16 months of talks, the Department for International Trade said. In a video call, prime ministers Boris Johnson of the U.K. and Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand praised the deal for removing barriers to trade while deepening market access for sectors such as tech and the services trade, DIT said. Tariffs will be dropped on a wide range of U.K. goods including clothing and ships, bulldozers and excavators, DIT said. Improved travel conditions for professionals will also be implemented, the U.K. said. "This deal is a win-win for two like-minded democracies who believe in free and fair trade," said British Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan. "It delivers for families, workers and businesses across Britain, and sets the stage for greater cooperation between our two nations on global challenges like digital trade and climate change. It is a vital part of our plan to level up the country: slashing costs and red tape for exporters, building new trade routes for our services companies and refocusing Britain on the dynamic economies of the Asia-Pacific."

The United Kingdom launched a new Trade and Agriculture Commission to review new trade deals to ensure that British agricultural standards are maintained, the Department for International Trade said. The original commission recommended changes for the new TAC, which includes international "agri-food attaches" who will work internationally to boost export opportunities for U.K. farmers and producers while providing "market intelligence and technical expertise," DIT said. A new Food and Drink Export Council will work with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to boost exports from every part of the U.K. Lorand Bartels, international law professional at the University of Cambridge, will chair TAC, which will have a "formal role to inform Parliamentarians and the public about how new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are consistent with UK laws on animal welfare, animal and plant health, and the environment," DIT said. A report will be issued ahead of the signing of every new FTA.

The United Kingdom adopted a second amendment to its Belarus sanctions regime, replacing the sanctions with new financial, trade and aircraft restrictions, and expanding the grounds on which a person may be designated. The amendment also reinstates a prohibition on the transfer of restricted technology that was dropped from the regime in error while correcting errors over the application of an exception for authorized conduct in the Chanel Islands, Isle of Man or British Overseas Territories.

The United Kingdom and Caribbean Forum held the first meeting of their Economic Partnership Agreement's Trade and Development Committee Oct. 7 via videoconference, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said Oct. 20. Issuing a communique following the meeting, the parties said the EPA secured continuity of a trading relationship worth over $4 billion, DIT said. The two sides discussed “tariff liberalisation, trade in goods and services, and Geographical Indications,” the DIT said. Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, the Bahamas, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.K. attended the meeting.

The U.S. and the European Union will hold an outreach event Oct. 27 on dual-use export controls, the European Commission said. Stakeholders may submit questions and comments in advance with the goal of reviewing and discussing areas of future export control cooperation, as identified by the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council's first meeting in Pittsburgh. Registration will be limited to two people per organization. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

The European Union updated an antidumping duty on high tenacity yarns of polyesters from China, finding that an exporter's name change did not affect is right to receive the individual antidumping duty rate applied to it, the European Commission said. As a result of the change, Jiangsu Solead New Material Group Co. receives the same rate that Wuxi Solead Technology Development Co., the company's former name, was assigned.