A new bill from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Republican and a Democratic member would renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade preference program for 16 years, offer more flexibility on country eligibility reviews, and soften the high-income graduation rules.
Five members of House Ways and Means Committee and the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific introduced a bill that would set up an ‘‘Indo-Pacific Trade Strategy Commission’’ to make recommendations to Congress on a comprehensive trade policy in the region, and direct the International Trade Commission to produce a report on how the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral free trade agreement and China's Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership multilateral free trade agreement affect U.S. exports and growth opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. The report also would address differences between the TPP successor, RCEP, and the USMCA, and the impact of Asian regional trade agreements on U.S. supply chain resiliency, and how they affect China's role in key global supply chains.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she hopes "we can announce the result of [the Section 301] review soon," though she later declined to say whether that would be when she appears next week before the House and Senate committees that oversee her office.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich, joined by four other Michigan Democrats, two Indiana Democrats and Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., whose district includes a major Mercedes plant, asked the Biden administration to prevent Chinese cars from entering the U.S.
A bill requiring a study on gender bias and regressive effects of the U.S. tariff system was introduced April 10, and has been endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force, which is led by one of the bill's co-sponsors, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas.
Greta Peisch, former general counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has joined Wiley Rein as a partner in the International Trade Practice, the firm announced. At USTR, Peisch led the office's "enforcement agenda," including World Trade Organization and trade agreement disputes and Section 201 and Section 301 proceedings, the firm said. Before joining USTR, Peisch served as senior international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee.
U.S. and EU officials speaking in Belgium didn’t divulge many details about what they expect to come from the sixth meeting of the Trade and Technology Council this week, saying mostly that they hope the forum will continue no matter who wins upcoming elections in the U.S. and Europe (see 2403120066).
The U.S. is asking Mexico to address alleged labor violations at Minera Tizapa, a Zacazonapan zinc mine owned by Industrias Penoles. Exports from the mine will have liquidation suspended until a remediation plan is approved.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is hosting two additional in-person hearings on how to promote U.S. supply chain resilience through trade negotiations or enforcement and one virtual hearing.
China opened a case at the World Trade Organization against the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act's rules for electric vehicle subsidies and "other measures," the nation's Ministry of Commerce announced March 26, according to an unofficial translation.