In a Swiss readout after a meeting between Switzerland's President Guy Parmelin and President Joe Biden, the Swiss said the two delegations "discussed the status of the exploratory talks for a potential bilateral trade agreement." The U.S. readout of the same meeting did not mention trade.

The U.S.-European Union joint statement on trade says: "We will engage in discussions to allow the resolution of existing differences on measures regarding steel and aluminum before the end of the year. In this regard, we are determined to work together to resolve tensions arising from the U.S. application of tariffs on imports from the EU under U.S. Section 232." It also says, "We commit to ensure the long-term viability of our steel and aluminum industries, and to address excess capacity."

The leaders of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, the U.S. and Italy agreed to work collectively toward eradicating the use of all forms of forced labor in global supply chains, and said they want concrete suggestions ready before the G-7 trade ministers' meeting in October.

A joint statement from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden said the two governments commit to the rapid settlement of the Airbus-Boeing subsidies dispute, and said the two countries will "pursue opportunities to deepen our already extensive trade relationship. " The possibility of a U.S.-United Kingdom free trade agreement was not explicitly mentioned, however.

President Joe Biden on June 8 sent to the Senate the nomination of Grant Harris to be the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for industry and analysis within the International Trade Administration (see 2106040030). Harris runs a consulting company that helps companies do business in emerging markets and was previously an official in the Obama administration.

A draft prepared in advance of the European Union-U.S. summit says the EU and the U.S. agree to work to find a way to roll back the Section 232 tariffs on European steel and aluminum by Dec. 1, Bloomberg reported June 8. The two sides previously said they were working on finding an effective way to counter Chinese overcapacity in metals by the end of the year, so the tariffs could be lifted. The EU has said it will immediately lift its retaliatory tariffs against American exports once the 232 tariffs are gone. The same draft also says the U.S. and the EU pledge to resolve the Airbus-Boeing dispute by July 11. That's when the temporary pause on tariffs on both sides is slated to end.

At a White House press briefing, National Economic Council Deputy Director Sameera Fazili said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead a Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force "to tackle near-term bottlenecks in the semiconductor, homebuilding and construction, transportation, and agricultural and food industries."

President Joe Biden will nominate Grant Harris to be the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for industry and analysis within the International Trade Administration, the White House announced June 3. Harris is the CEO of the consulting firm Connect Frontier, which advises companies doing business in “emerging and frontier markets,” the White House said. He also teaches strategy and political risk in emerging markets and previously served as a special assistant to President Barack Obama and deputy chief of staff to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.

House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., praised CBP's withhold release order on Dalian Ocean Fishing (see 2105280019). "The Biden administration’s action represents an important step forward on forced labor enforcement -- the previous administration had only been willing to take action against individual vessels, even though it is widely recognized that when forced labor occurs it’s often pervasive throughout entire fishing fleets. In this case, CBP’s actions come after several reports indicated that crew members aboard the fishing company have died due to harsh working conditions," he said in a statement after the WRO was announced. He noted that the U.S. trade representative proposed at the World Trade Organization that the overfishing negotiations include the issue of forced labor. "I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress and the administration towards stronger forced labor enforcement as well as addressing the interlinked issues of forced labor and environmental protection,” he said May 28.

Over 300 U.S. manufacturers wrote to President Joe Biden to request an end to Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users said in a news release May 6. “Manufacturers in the United States currently face historic shortages of readily available and globally priced steel and aluminum products at a time when the country is relying on our sector to help drive the economy and overcome the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the group said in the letter. “Without termination of the tariffs, this situation will worsen if Washington moves forward with an infrastructure bill to invest in America, as these projects will create more strain on domestic steel and aluminum supplies, causing delays in construction and risking manufacturing jobs.”