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.
Katherine White, an international trade policy adviser for Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, has been chosen by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to be its chief textiles and apparel negotiator. The announcement means the role is returning to a political appointee role, rather than a career staff role.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Former top officials in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Trump and Biden administrations said there will be no return to a pre-Trumpian, pro-free trade philosophy, whether Joe Biden wins re-election this fall or Donald Trump returns to the White House in 2025.
China announced that it is "firmly opposed" to both the U.S. decision to open a new Section 301 investigation on allegedly unfair practices in China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors (see 2404170029) and President Joe Biden's call for a "tripling" of the existing Section 301 tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum (see 2404170040).
The U.S. on April 16 requested the establishment of a USMCA dispute settlement panel to consider its rapid response labor complaint against a Mexican call center, marking only the second time the U.S. has requested that a panel be formed, according to an April 16 news release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
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 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is beginning a new Section 301 investigation on alleged unfair practices in China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the agency said in a news release April 17.
President Joe Biden on April 17 called for a “tripling” of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to “consider” the increase from the current average 7.5% rate in its ongoing review of Section 301 tariffs.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testified April 16 before the House Ways and Means Committee regarding the Biden administration’s trade policy agenda for 2024. She expressed support for upcoming legislation to renew the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program and to close the de minimis imports loophole (see 2404160029), and she detailed some of the administration’s values and aims for the upcoming year. “Our approach is one that addresses and advances the interests of all parts of our economy and does not pit Americans against Americans,” she said.