President Donald Trump on Dec. 8, issued a memo to Small Business Administration Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy Major Clark directing the delay of a required report submission to Congress on NAFTA’s small business impacts. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act generally requires the executive branch to submit to Congress a report on the economic impacts of a covered trade agreement no less than 180 days after a TFTEA-required interagency working group for that trade agreement is convened. However, TFTEA also allows the delay of the report’s submission until after negotiations are concluded, but no later than 45 days before the Senate or House “acts to approve or disapprove the trade agreement,” the memo says.
The U.S. has started admitting star apples from Vietnam, and Vietnam has started accepting dried grains from the U.S., according to a Nov. 12 joint statement issued after President Donald Trump’s visit to the country. Trump and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang “pledged to deepen and expand the bilateral trade and investment relationship between the United States and Vietnam through formal mechanisms, including the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA),” the statement says. “They welcomed the return of market access for United States distillers dried grains into the Vietnamese market and new access for Vietnamese star apples into the United States market.”
The U.S. and the Philippines will discuss the possibility of a bilateral free trade agreement during U.S.-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) discussions, the two countries said in a Nov. 13 joint statement after President Donald Trump visited the Pacific island nation. “The United States welcomed the Philippines’ interest in a bilateral free trade agreement and both sides agreed to discuss the matter further through the United States-Philippines TIFA,” the statement says. TIFA talks continue to progress on areas including customs, labor, intellectual property and market access for agricultural products, the statement says.
Speaking alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump during at least three different occasions in Beijing on Nov. 9 suggested the U.S. has an unfair trade relationship with China and pledged to make it more reciprocal. “Both the United States and China will have a more prosperous future if we can achieve a level economic playing field. Right now, unfortunately, it is a very one-sided and unfair one. But I don't blame China,” Trump said during a business event with Xi, drawing applause from the crowd, according to a White House transcript of the speech. “After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens? I give China great credit.” Before an expanded bilateral meeting with Xi, Trump said he has “great respect” for China getting ahead of the U.S. on trade, “because you’re representing China,” but added that it’s “too bad” past U.S. administrations “allowed it to get so far out of kilter.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during a joint press conference with President Donald Trump Nov. 7, that the leaders “agreed to have the relevant authorities expedite” ongoing U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) consultations. Trump said he’s “confident” the two nations will reach a “free, fair, and reciprocal trade deal” through those talks, but also criticized outcomes of the current deal. “I would like to thank President Moon for instructing his trade negotiators to work closely with us to quickly pursue a much better deal -- a deal that, frankly, has been quite unsuccessful and not very good for the United States,” Trump said. South Korean trade officials agreed to work with the U.S. in resolving implementation issues and discussing potential modifications to KORUS last month (see 1710060012). Trump also mentioned that the U.S. has approved some South Korean orders for “billions of dollars’ worth” of military equipment, with more to come, which should help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with the nation and increase U.S. jobs, Trump said. Additionally, Moon appeared to link the two countries’ trade and defense relationships, mentioning that South Korea demonstrated “huge contributions to the KORUS alliance” during Trump’s visit to a U.S. military base iin the country.
The U.S. trade balance continued to be a focus for President Donald Trump during his trip to Japan, as Trump during a Nov. 6 press conference said the U.S. seeks “equal and reliable” access for exports to Japan, “in order to eliminate our chronic trade imbalances and deficits with Japan.” The U.S. had a $4.8 billion goods trade deficit with Japan in September, the most recent month for which Census Bureau trade data is available. “We're working on that -- something we've all been working on very hard from the very beginning of our meetings,” Trump said. During the press conference in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country and the U.S. intend to create a “fair and effective” economic order in the Pacific region, and touted Japanese investment in the U.S. as a contributor to recent U.S. job growth.
President Donald Trump on Nov. 2 sent the nomination of Jeffrey Kessler to be assistant secretary of commerce for enforcement and compliance to the Senate as planned (see 1711010009), the White House announced. If confirmed, Kessler would oversee enforcement of antidumping and countervailing duties and help ensure foreign compliance with trade agreements.
The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis recommends the executive branch and Congress use advance electronic data on foreign mail shipments from high-risk areas to identify illicit opioid suppliers and domestic distributors, according to a report released by the commission Nov. 1. Already required for express shipments, such data includes sender and receipt names and addresses, shipment contents and quantity.
President Donald Trump is extending sanctions on the government of Sudan beyond their former deadline of Oct. 12, 2017, the White House said in a notice. Trump postponed the scheduled termination of the measures earlier this year (see 1710100014 and 1707120008). Sanctions blocking the property of the government of Sudan and generally banning U.S. individuals from engaging in transactions with Sudan and the government of Sudan are now appearing to continue indefinitely, as Trump didn’t identify a termination date in either the notice or a letter from him to Congress formally communicating the extension.
President Donald Trump intends to nominate Jeffrey Kessler to be assistant secretary of commerce for enforcement and compliance, the White House announced Oct. 31. As chief of the International Trade Administration’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Kessler would oversee enforcement of antidumping and countervailing duties and help ensure foreign compliance with trade agreements. The office also administers the foreign-trade zones program, and a range of sector-specific programs, including the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis monitoring program and the Enhanced Global Steel Trade Monitor. Kessler is a lawyer in the international trade group at Wilmer Cutler.