The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is asking for stakeholder comments on Chinese compliance with World Trade Organization commitments, and will convene an Oct. 1 public hearing on the matter. Comments and testimony will be used to compile an annual USTR report on Chinese WTO compliance. The U.S. has claimed victory in a number of recent disputes with China, including the early August WTO appellate body decision to affirm China violated trade rules through its export restraint regime on two rare earth metals (see 14080812). USTR is asking stakeholders to comment and testify on tariff barriers, export regulations, subsidies and other internal policies, along with a number of other barriers. Comments should be submitted on http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USTR-2014-0015. Comments and requests to participate at the hearing are due Sept. 17.

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman again championed the Obama administration’s dedication to dismantling trade barriers for U.S. exports during an Aug. 12 speech before the Washington Council on International Trade in Seattle. Through bilateral negotiations, the administration has removed almost 200 non-tariff trade barriers for agricultural products, said Froman. “And when it comes to enforcing existing agreements, this administration’s track record has no rival,” said Froman. “Since 2009, we have brought 18 disputes in the WTO and have won every one decided so far.” WTO dispute panel decisions often side with both parties in assessing different aspects of a dispute, as it did in a recent duty dispute involving Indian hot-rolled carbon steel flat products (see 14081205). Froman also encouraged U.S. businesses to ramp up efforts to export goods. “Ninety-eight percent of U.S. exporters are small businesses, but only 1% of U.S. businesses currently export -- which means that there are enormous, untapped opportunities for further growth,” he said.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will kick off several events in Washington State on Aug. 12 with an agriculture roundtable, alongside House members Suzan Delbene, D-Wash., and Rick Larsen, D-Wash., the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. Froman will then on Aug. 12 tour the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., along with other planned public appearances. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler will then meet with senior Japanese trade negotiator Takeo Mori for two days of Trans-Pacific Partnership auto trade negotiations from Aug. 13-14 in Tokyo, Japan. USTR officials are not scheduled to participate in any public events for the remainder of the week.

Ongoing U.S. free trade negotiations continue to provide a promising opportunity for U.S. agricultural export growth, particularly through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman during an Aug. 8 speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. TTIP alone is poised to boost soybean, animal feed, pork and other livestock exports, Froman said, adding that the free trade negotiations help to break down non-tariff barriers. “Last year, the Obama administration resolved nearly 200 trade-related barriers involving U.S. agricultural exports, including resolutions that helped increase total U.S. beef exports by 12% and U.S. pork exports to Colombia by 63%. And we’re continuing to make progress on these issues,” he said.

Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler and chief agricultural negotiator Darci Vetter concluded two days of talks on Aug. 5 with chief Japanese negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official Makoto Osawa without a breakthrough in bilateral negotiations, according to a USTR release. USTR said the two sides continued to narrow gaps, and “technical experts” will continue to discuss market access this week in Washington, D.C. Japanese officials still want more than 500 tariff lines exempt from tariff elimination, according to the most recent public updates.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will lead an African Growth and Opportunity Act ministerial meeting in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 4, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in its weekly schedule. Froman will attend numerous events with African leaders throughout the week. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler and chief agricultural negotiator Darci Vetter will also host chief Japanese negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official Makoto Osawa in Washington, D.C. Aug. 4-5 to discuss agricultural market access in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Froman on Aug. 5 will then participate in the signing of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the Economic Community of West African States.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman traveled to Guatemala from July 31-Aug. 1 to press forward with implementation of a Guatemalan labor enforcement plan (here) aimed at bringing the country into compliance with Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement labor provisions (CAFTA-DR), said the Office of the USTR. The CAFTA-DR spelled out a number of labor mandates, including commitments to obligations in the 1998 International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

The U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries should partner in the months prior to the September 2015 expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to consider tariff liberalization on excluded beneficiary exports, specifically textile and agricultural products, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman at the Aug. 4 outset of a U.S.-sub-Saharan African trade ministerial summit in Washington, D.C. Froman’s call for liberalization echoes similar statements delivered to the Senate Finance Committee on July 30 (see 14073119).

The U.S. faces a critical opportunity in the coming days to determine how best to boost trade with Africa as the Obama administration prepares to host 50 African heads of state for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit from Aug. 4-6, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in remarks before the Brookings Institution on July 29. The House and Senate will also host hearings on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) on July 29 and July 30 (see 14072537). Froman said the administration is collaborating with Congress to renew AGOA and the expired Generalized System of Preferences. AGOA, which entered into force in 2000, is due to expire at the end of fiscal year 2015 and many beneficiaries of the program are pushing for early renewal in order to preserve existing supply chains. “Since 2000, U.S. goods exports to sub-Saharan Africa increased fourfold, from $6 billion to $24 billion,” said Froman. “Last year, U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa supported nearly 120,000 jobs here in the United States. Given that Africa is home to the world’s fastest-growing middle class and six out of the top 10 fastest-growing economies in 2014, it’s easy to see why global companies like GE, Caterpillar, and Procter & Gamble increasingly view engaging with Africa not as a choice, but as a necessity.”

The U.S. is poised to build on record food and agricultural exports in fiscal year (FY) 2013 through Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, along with non-tariff barrier fights at the World Trade Organization, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in a July 24 speech at the White House Rural Opportunity Investment Conference. Agricultural exports reached $148.4 billion in FY13 (see 14040318). The U.S. is registering more export growth to developing markets than developed markets, said Froman. “They want more protein; they want a more diverse diet,” he said. “They want to make sure their food is safe and nutritious. All of that points to greater demand for U.S. agricultural products -- not just commodities, but also specialty foods, organic foods and processed products.”