Main headlines from this issue

Bilateral countertrade stumbles back from the dead

Bilateral countertrade, long thought to have died and been buried, appears to have won a second life. The appearances, though, may be no more than phantoms….. Now Thailand has stepped up engagement with Russia and China…. For Russia and China, a deal that exchanged rusting steel for eternal shipments of rubber, rice, and frozen chickens would be highly desirable.

Confusion as ministers give different takes on Russian missile and oil-for-goods deal with iran

The ghost of bilateral countertrade has been heard again in Russia. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow is supplying Tehran with grain, equipment, and construction materials in exchange for Iran's crude oil.....

U.S. closes eyes to the ‘Buy American Act’ and attacks Philippines for restrictive countertrade practices

The Philippines has made little progress towards opening up its market to American goods and services, according to the 2015 National Trade Estimate report published annually by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

Poland’s Wisła program is full of empty promise, says former minister

Andrzej Karkoszka, Poland’s former Deputy Defence Minister, has cast doubt on the commitment of foreign suppliers to meet their requirements in the supply of the Wisła AMD program.

Turkey’s civil offset law is a paper tiger

Turkey’s Public Procurement Law on civil industrial participation/offset may have little practical value. The new regulations contain many ambiguities and inconsistencies, making the legal basis for the law untenable.