U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will lead the U.S. delegation at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council meeting June 7-8 in Paris, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (here). Lighthizer will advocate at the meeting for “free and fair trade policies” that eliminate trade barriers and reduce trade deficits, USTR said. Lighthizer will meet bilaterally with several key trading partners on the margins of the OECD meeting, USTR said.
Leaders of an organization representing U.S. manufacturing, agriculture, and labor left meetings with top Trump administration trade officials last week feeling encouraged with their approach toward trade, including a focus on reducing the U.S. trade deficit and trade enforcement, Coalition for a Prosperous America Chairman Dan DiMicco said in a statement (here). “Already we are seeing far more aggressive investigation and enforcement directed at unfair foreign trade practices in a break from past administrations’ reluctant enforcement efforts,” CPA CEO Michael Stumo said after meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. “We had deep discussions about currency manipulation and misalignment as well as the different problems America faces from the strategic trade nationalism of China, Japan, Germany and other counties.” DiMicco said that under the leadership of Lighthizer and Ross, the U.S. has a “chance” to craft a strategy to grow U.S. manufacturing and agriculture “rather than accept decline.”
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on May 30 called on Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to help the U.S. balance its current $32 billion trade deficit with Vietnam. Speaking during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Gala Dinner, Lighthizer said the deficit, which has increased $25 billion over the last decade, “presents new challenges” but indicates a “considerable potential” to improve bilateral trade, according to prepared remarks (here). “Prime Minister Phuc is uniquely positioned to help us achieve that objective,” Lighthizer said. “Since becoming Prime Minister in 2016, he has shown that he is committed to maintaining high economic growth and promoting Vietnam’s competitiveness and integration into the global economy. He has focused on tackling graft and corruption, and promoting broad economic reform, including continuing to privatize Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises.” During a meeting earlier in the day with Phuc, the two officials discussed improving the trade relationship through initiatives under the U.S.-Vietnam Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, according to the agency (here). President Donald Trump was set to meet with Phuc at 3 p.m. on May 31 at the White House.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer attended the Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group May 20-21 in Hanoi, where discussions touched on strengthening intellectual property rights and eliminating barriers to agricultural trade, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). “It was important to me to come to APEC first and foremost to reaffirm the President’s strong commitment to promoting bilateral free and fair trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region,” Lighthizer said in a statement. “APEC provides a great opportunity to focus energy on the barriers to its stated objective of free and open trade -- a goal that cannot be met without tackling trade-distorting measures that have led to massive U.S. trade imbalances in the region." Lighthizer also met with trade ministers of Canada, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, China and Australia, USTR said.
The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking comments to inform the development of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s objectives for the anticipated NAFTA renegotiation, the TPSC announced (here). Specifically, the TPSC is asking for information on customs and trade facilitation issues that should be addressed, trade remedy issues, possible rules of origin changes, potential impacts of removal of tariffs and other trade barriers to U.S. producers and consumers and treatment of particular goods on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule and other issues. USTR will accept comments through June 12, and a hearing on proposed renegotiation topics will take place on June 27 at 9 a.m. at the International Trade Commission.
The Committee to Support U.S. Trade Laws (CSUSTL) on May 11 added itself to the list of entities that support Robert Lighthizer’s confirmation to be U.S. trade representative, saying in a statement it looks forward to working with the “bold strategist” and “skillful negotiator.” “For decades Bob Lighthizer has been an intelligent and forceful proponent of free and fair trade policies,” CSUSTL Executive Committee member Andrew Kentz said in a statement. “As USTR, he will be an effective advocate for U.S. manufacturers, farmers, fishermen and workers competing in the international marketplace.”
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative kept the same countries included on last year’s higher- and lower-tier watch lists for copyright and other intellectual property rights violations on its 2017 Special 301 Report released April 28 (here). The report highlighted China’s continued inclusion in the higher-tier “Priority Watch List,” because of “longstanding and new IP concerns” that “strongly merit attention.” “China is home to widespread infringing activity, including trade secret theft, rampant online piracy and counterfeiting, and high levels of physical pirated and counterfeit exports to markets around the globe,” USTR said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is issuing a final rule (here) that will adopt minor technical changes to a December rule outlining amendments for the agency's Freedom of Information Act requests and disclosures (see 1612140018). The final rule, to become effective April 25, will also adopt without change a proposed rule updating general policies for individuals requesting access to records, how the agency will respond to a Privacy Act request, individuals’ appeals, fees, exemptions, security of records, collection of Social Security numbers, and USTR employee responsibilities under the act, among other things (see 1612210004).
Sanitary/phytosanitary (SPS) regulations, currency manipulation and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) could be areas appropriate to cover in the expected NAFTA renegotiation, analysts said during a panel discussion on Capitol Hill April 19. SPS could be a “low-hanging fruit” to tackle during planned discussions, partly because the U.S. already has a deep Rolodex of Canadian and Mexican regulators in that area due to the high volume of agricultural trade among the three nations. “The question is, is it seen as a win-win, or is it something we’re going to have to pay something for?” said Darci Vetter, former chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, during the session. “And then we’ll have a strategic decision to make.”
The U.S. signed the multilateral Arrangement on Information Exchange, Technical Cooperation and Counterfeiting at a meeting of the World Wine Trade Group in Brussels on April 13, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced April 18 (here). The non-binding agreement will facilitate wine trade by encouraging information exchanges and cooperation on wine-related issues, including halting the growth of wine counterfeiting globally. The agreement was also signed by Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Georgia, South Africa and New Zealand.