U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she talked about "ongoing efforts to address global overcapacity in the steel and aluminum sectors and shared challenges posed by non-market economies" when she met with her European Union counterpart on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Sorrento, Italy. The EU did not issue its own readout of the meeting, but Valdis Dombrovskis tweeted, "Met [the] USTR, Ambassador Tai, to continue our discussions on finding a settlement on the Trump steel & aluminium tariffs #232. The work continues." He has previously said that an agreement on Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum has to be reached by early November in order to prevent retaliatory tariffs from doubling on Dec. 1. Those retaliatory tariffs have hurt the export of American spirits.
The U.S. summary of a weekend call between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's Vice Premier Liu He, the lead negotiator of the phase one agreement, did not use the word tariffs, though it said the two countries would "consult on certain outstanding issues."
The rollout of the new China trade policy looks a lot like the old China policy, with a new chance at Section 301 exclusions and all the tariffs remaining for now. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai suggested during the speech on the results of the China policy review that she doesn't have much hope for getting more structural reform that the phase one China agreement did not secure.
Most trade groups and companies that have filed comments so far on extending Section 301 tariff exclusions on COVID-19 pandemic-related imports from China want those tariffs to continue to be waived. Comments were due Sept. 27. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Sept. 27 that it will temporarily extend the exclusions to Nov. 14, rather than Sept. 30, so that agency employees can have more time to analyze public comments (see 2109270044).
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo Sept. 13, and in a summary of that meeting, she said she emphasized the importance of advancing workers' rights through the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, as well as using KORUS to resolve bilateral issues.
Government representatives from the State Department, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Homeland Security and an official from the International Labor Organization reminded importers that there are tools to help them source responsibly, such as "Better Work," Responsible Sourcing and "Comply Chain." Josh Kagan, acting assistant U.S. trade representative for labor, told attendees "we want to be in partnership with the business community and recognizing that you are an important player in the global fight against forced labor." The speakers were convened at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce virtual event July 30 called "Tackling Forced Labor."
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, introduced a bill that would create a chief pharmaceutical negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and would ask USTR to investigate whether Section 301 actions should be taken against high-income countries that impose price controls on American-made pharmaceuticals. The USTRx Act text was published July 26. Arrington is asking the agency to investigate if the price controls are discriminatory, if the countries deny reciprocal market access to U.S. products, and if the price controls "are not market-based or do not appropriately recognize the value of innovative medicines" and "diminish incentives for innovation in a manner that delays, prevents, or otherwise adversely impacts the introduction of new medicines in the United States."
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told an audience at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit that she wants to meet with her African counterparts later this year "to discuss how we can build on the successes of the African Growth and Opportunity Act." The meeting will be virtual, she said. She said she wants to talk about anticorruption, good regulatory practices and labor and environmental standards with other top trade officials. "As we continue to develop our trade policy with respect to Africa, I also want to hear from businesses, civic organizations, labor leaders, and workers. There are far too many communities that have been left out from trade, labor, and development policy that was enacted without their input," she said in a speech July 27. She also offered technical assistance to countries implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.
At the height of the Section 301 exclusions, 10% of imports covered by the China tariffs were excluded, according to a new Government Accountability Office report, though that fell from 10% to 7% across 2020, as exclusions expired and were not extended. Overall, about $71 billion of imports avoided the tariffs, GAO estimated.
The British International Trade Secretary is meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and what she called "leading Democrats," before heading to meet with California businesses and investors to round out the five-day trip. Secretary Liz Truss said she will speak with Tai on how the U.S. and the United Kingdom can cooperate more closely to "combat market-distorting trade practices such as industrial subsidies and dumping, as well as [pursue] working together to defend workers and companies that play by the rules against unfair practices in the global trading system, by combating forced labour and strengthening supply-chain resilience."