Customs lawyer John Foote, speaking at the Washington International Trade Association during a panel on import bans, investments and export controls, questioned whether the Biden administration is ready to coordinate forced labor import bans with allies, given how the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is still in its infancy.
While the U.S. should look to counter China with export controls, tariffs and outbound investment restrictions, it also needs to better incentivize trading partners to diversify their supply chains away from China, the Atlantic Council said this week.
The International Trade Commission is considering adding DigiKey as a respondent to a potential Section 337 investigation on imports of dynamic random access memory device integrated circuits, the ITC said in a notice May 6. The commission said it received an amended complaint from retired semiconductor designer Wen Lin that now seeks a cease and desist order against DigiKey in addition to Etron Technology (see 2403110040). The amended complaint still seeks a general exclusion order banning all imports that infringe on Lin's patents, regardless of source. Comments are due to the ITC by May 14.
In the first third of its first public hearing on promoting supply chain resilience, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and interagency officials heard from groups disputing the premise of the project -- that liberalizing trade was harmful to U.S. workers and manufacturing -- and from those who say the worker-centered trade approach of the Biden administration is not going far enough to restore American manufacturing.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notices on May 1:
A career staffer in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative whose portfolio includes the auto industry told an audience of auto industry supply chain professionals that it's likely the U.S. will be talking with Mexico about the increased foreign direct investment from Chinese companies manufacturing auto parts or, potentially, assembling vehicles, in Mexico.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said April 17 she’s concerned that a host of upcoming elections around the world could fuel harmful sentiment against international trade.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai gave testimony April 17 to the Senate Finance Committee regarding President Joe Biden’s 2024 trade policy agenda. She touched mainly on trade deal enforcement, U.S. exporters’ access to new markets and the USTR’s new stance on digital trade, though she also discussed issues such as forced labor and the upcoming legislation on the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program.
The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America told President Joe Biden that removing tariffs on shoes doesn't require public policy reviews but "just the stroke of your pen to help lower shoe prices."
The U.S. and the EU will consult each other on planned action, and "may develop joint or cooperative measures to address distortionary effects on the global supply chain for legacy semiconductors," a joint statement from the ministerial meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council said. Both regions are offering government incentives to produce semiconductors, but if Chinese semiconductors are still cheaper than their own, delayed projects in Ohio and Arizona could be canceled.