U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, speaking from Asia, where she had just finished a round of meetings with Philippine and Japanese officials, said the U.S.-China trade war did not come up in her meetings, as these visits focused much more on the bilateral trade and economic relationship.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her counterpart from the EU, Valdis Dombrovskis, said their discussions on a critical minerals agreement and a deal to privilege green steel and aluminum trade were productive. It was the fourth time this year that Tai and the EU's top trade official met.

The U.K. last week said it “substantially concluded” negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the last steps before other CPTPP members “complete domestic ratification procedures” to approve the U.K.’s accession to the deal (see 2210110026). The U.K. also released a document describing benefits the CPTPP will provide British traders, including the elimination of tariffs on more than 99% of U.K. goods exports.

The U.K. Parliament last week approved a trade deal with Australia (see 2202090017 and 2112170016). The deal, which will take effect “after UK processes are complete” and after the two countries agree to a “commencement date,” will remove tariffs on more than 99% of Australian goods exported to the U.K. annually, Australia said.

The United Arab Emirates and Georgia signed a new free trade deal, which will reduce tariffs and other trade barriers, Arab News, a Saudi Arabian newspaper, reported March 17. The agreement, reached after three rounds of negotiations, ​​"signals our ambition to build a truly global network of trade partners in strategically important parts of the world,” said Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE’s foreign trade minister, according to the report. He said the Georgia deal “holds considerable promise for our exporters.”

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity needs strong commitments on labor rights, the environment and on digital trade, among other items, a coalition of organizations and unions told the Biden administration.

House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said the Biden administration is leaving an opportunity on the table by not continuing negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement with the U.K.

The muted response of the agriculture secretary to Mexico's concessions on genetically modified corn was not enough, according to Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Smith sent a letter Feb. 15 to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai arguing that it is time to initiate a formal dispute over the non-tariff-barriers.

The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council has done some excellent work in technology, according to EU and U.S. trade officials, but it needs to tackle the "trade" part of its mission more directly. A discussion on Making a More Meaningful TTC also included executives from two technology industry associations, who were somewhat less laudatory about its results so far.

Japan brought up issues it has around the Inflation Reduction Act, while the U.S. asked Japan to increase its use of ethanol and have better regulatory transparency for "certain products and services," according to a readout of a trade discussion between the two countries released Feb. 3 by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.