White House trade policy adviser Peter Navarro said the list of Chinese products that could be subject to 25 percent tariffs will be a subset of the original list of 1,300 products released in April (see 1804040019). Whether the Section 301 tariffs come to bear against those products will be up to the president to decide, he said while speaking at an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal on June 12. The administration has said the tariff list would be released this week.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to raise tariffs on longtime allies because, in his view, they have ripped off America. But at a post-G-7 press conference, he laid out the consequence if they don't drop their tariffs to the same level as the U.S. "It's going to change. They have no choice. If it's not going to change, we're not going to trade with them," he said. He listed Canada, the European Union -- which he called "brutal" -- and India as offenders that could be barred from exporting to the U.S.
President Donald Trump blasted allies' trade practices just before heading to the G-7 summit in Canada in a tweet storm that included repeated swipes at Canadian dairy practices, European tariffs and trade deficits. "Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers," he said in one tweet, before closing with, "Look forward to seeing them tomorrow."
President Donald Trump plans to nominate Miller Baker and Timothy Reif to be judges on the Court of International Trade, the White House said in a statement. Baker is co-chair of the McDermott Will & Emery appellate practice group. Reif is senior adviser to the U.S. trade representative and was the USTR's general counsel from 2009 to 2017.
Peter Feldman, a senior counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee, was nominated to serve as a commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the White House said. If confirmed, Feldman would be the last appointment to form a 3-2 Republican majority at the independent regulatory agency. “Once the committee receives the formal nomination and other required submissions, I expect we will move quickly to convene a confirmation hearing,” said Commerce Chairman Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
The U.S.-China trade war is on hold, but President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House May 22 that he's not happy with how the talks in Washington progressed at the end of last week. “I’m not satisfied but we have a long way to go," he said. "I want this to be a great deal for the United States and I want it to be a good deal for China too. It may not be possible." Amid reports that the Commerce Department may rescind its export ban on ZTE and instead levy another fine and require a board shakeup, Trump said no deal has been reached. "We will see what happens. We're discussing deals. We're discussing various deals," he said.
The European Union is just two weeks away from possibly facing 25 percent tariffs on its steel exports to the U.S., and European Council President Donald Tusk offered some criticism of President Donald Trump. "Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think 'with friends like that, who needs enemies,'" Tusk told reporters in Sofia, Bulgaria. "But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm." President Donald Trump, asked about that comment at the White House on May 17, said: "Look, the European Union has been terrible to the United States on trade. They've been terrible to our workers." He said only China and a few others had treated America worse. He also said, "They can call me all sorts of names."
China's Vice Premier Liu He was scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on May 17 to discuss trade issues. Trump told reporters the same day that "we have been ripped off by China" and that he doubts trade talks between the countries will be successful.
President Donald Trump on May 8 withdrew U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, setting the stage for sanctions suspended under the agreement to once again take effect. In a presidential memorandum announcing the decision, Trump directed the State and Treasury departments to “immediately begin taking steps to re-impose” all U.S. sanctions “waived in connection with the JCPOA,” and do so “as expeditiously as possible.” The memo set a deadline of November 2018 for putting the sanctions back in place.
The U.S. has asked China to reduce the bilateral trade deficit by $200 billion by the end of 2020, according to an eight-point list of demands that leaked to journalists during two days of trade talks in Beijing. The Wall Street Journal has reported that in addition to expected positions on intellectual property, investment barriers in China, forced tech transfer, and subsidies to high-tech firms, the document also asked China to agree not to retaliate against U.S. farmers.