The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative launched a busy week of events in Washington on June 22, the agency said in its weekly schedule. Among other speeches and meetings, USTR Michael Froman will attend on June 22 a Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy alongside Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Froman and Deputy USTR Robert Holleyman will then participate the following day in the seventh U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Darci Vetter will also attend the summit, which is closed to the press. On June 24, Froman is tentatively scheduled to speak at an event hosted by the White House Business Council and the Business Roundtable. To wrap up the week, Froman will then meet on June 25 with United Kingdom Minister of State for Trade Francis Maude and separately with French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll.

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Jennifer Prescott will participate in an environmental working group meeting under the U.S.-Peru free trade agreement on June 9 in Lima, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule (here). USTR Michael Froman will attend a meeting of President Barack Obama’s export council the next day. Assistant USTR John Melle with then host a meeting for bilateral meeting for the U.S.-Chile FTA in Washington on June, 11, USTR said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its reallocation of fiscal year 2015 in-quota quantities for tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on imported raw cane sugar (here). USTR announced its initial allocation of FY15 TRQs in September 2014 (see 14090405). The reallocation is effective June 8. Drawing from discussions with quota-holders, USTR is reallocating 157,937 metric tons raw value (MTRV) of the original TRQ quantities from countries that are unable to meet their quotas, the agency said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released on June 2 a brief “report” on tariffs the Trans-Pacific Partnership is likely to reduce and eliminate (here). At the top of the list of tariff barriers, USTR says U.S. exporters face rice tariffs that reach 778 percent in some TPP countries. USTR has negotiated with Japan over TPP rice market access for more than a year without any public breakthrough (see 1505050019). U.S. companies face more than 300 percent tariffs on poultry and 100 percent on footwear, along with a range of other high tariffs. U.S. negotiators recently finished two weeks of TPP negotiations in Guam (see 1505250001), but USTR hasn’t commented on progress.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman will deliver remarks to the American Association of Exporters and Importers Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia, on June 1, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. The next day, USTR Froman will travel to Germany to partake in a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership forum with European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. EU lawmakers on May 28 released their prescriptions for a final TTIP pact.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to lead a Trans-Pacific Partnership chief negotiator meeting in Guam through May 28, topping off nearly two weeks of talks (see 1505120048). USTR Michael Froman will also meet with Brazil Ambassador to the U.S., Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, on May 27 in Washington, USTR said in its weekly schedule. The agency didn't disclose details of the meeting. Deputy USTR Robert Holleyman will then give a trade speech to a publishers association in New York City on the same day. On May 28, Assistant USTR for Europe and the Middle East, Dan Mullaney, will join in on a U.S.-Ukraine Trade and Investment Council summit in Kiev. Those discussions are also closed to the press.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is allowing stakeholders to submit comments until June 11 on its decision to move forward with a World Trade Organization adjudication panel over broad Chinese export subsidies. USTR initially said comments would be accepted through May 12, which gave prospective commenters only one day to act (see 1502110022). The agency extended the comment period to June 11 in its correction (here). The U.S. formally launched the WTO challenge over the subsidies in February (see 1502110022).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to lead Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Guam over the course of the next week (see 1505120048). Deputy USTR Robert Holleyman will also travel to China and Mongolia from May 15-21 for talks on undisclosed subjects, USTR said in its weekly schedule. On May 18, USTR Michael Froman will meet with European Union Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan for a closed door meeting in Washington. Froman, U.S. Ambassador Michael Punke and acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler will also attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministerial on May 23 in Boracay, Philippines. USTR previously said TPP trade ministers would meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is leading a chief negotiator meeting in Guam from May 15-28, an agency spokesman said on May 12. TPP ministers, including USTR Michael Froman, plan to "meet bilaterally" during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministerial in the Philippines from March 23-24, the spokesman said. "No decisions have been made on a TPP ministerial meeting and the 12 countries will do so when appropriate," he said. USTR didn't announce the Guam meetings in its weekly schedule (see 1505080021).

The World Trade Organization established an adjudication panel in a dispute between the U.S. and China over wide-ranging Chinese export subsidies, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said on May 11. The U.S. launched the dispute process with a request for consultations with the Chinese in February (see 1502110022). WTO members typically move ahead with a panel if consultations fail to yield a compromise.