The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has extended from Feb. 22 to March 8 the deadline to submit post-hearing comments on whether it should reinstate tariffs on a number of imports from the EU in response to alleged discrimination against U.S. beef exports, USTR said (here). Members of the U.S. beef industry during a Feb. 15 hearing pleaded with the interagency Section 301 Committee to follow through with the December-proposed retaliatory tariffs in response to the alleged EU discrimination, but representatives of the motorcycle, rayon fiber and confectionery industries cautioned against the move (see 1702150046).

China remains the “country of greatest concern over the past year, and it remains the single-largest manufacturer and exporter of counterfeit goods” globally, the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC) told Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in comments (here). Despite some recent reform on intellectual property rights enforcement, the National Association of Manufacturers (here) and the National Foreign Trade Council (here) also singled out China over continued issues. The comments were submitted as part of the USTR's annual Special 301 review on the global status of IP rights enforcement (here). China is the top source of counterfeit goods seized by CBP (see 1701170021).

U.S. Trade Representative nominee Robert Lighthizer committed to retire from Skadden Arps after nearly 30 years with the law firm, and pledged to divest his interest in 56 companies within 90 days of his confirmation for the position, according to filings with the Government Ethics Office dated Jan. 31. Lighthizer also vowed not to participate “personally and substantially” in any matter involving specific parties with which he knows the firm to be associated, either directly or through representation, unless he obtains legal authorization to participate, he said in a Jan. 31 letter to a USTR ethics official (here). Lighthizer may need a waiver to be legally confirmed, after he represented the Brazilian government in 1985, the first year he worked at Skadden (see 1701250061).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is postponing from Feb. 28 to March 8 a public hearing of its Special 301 Subcommittee on foreign countries that “deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights” or deny fair market access to U.S. citizens who rely on intellectual property protection, USTR said (here) (see 1612270008). USTR plans to publish the National Trade Estimate, then the 2017 Special 301 Report, on or close to April 30.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Jan. 30 sent a letter to all signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the TPP depositary, formally withdrawing the U.S. from the agreement, USTR said (here). “This letter is to inform you that the United States does not intend to become a party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Accordingly, the United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature on February 4, 2016,” Acting U.S. Trade Representative Maria Pagan said in the letter (here) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand, which serves as the TPP depositary. The U.S. "remains committed to taking measures designed to promote more efficient markets and higher levels of economic growth, both in our country and around the world. We look forward to further discussions as to how to achieve these goals.” President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 23 that instructed the USTR to withdraw from the deal (see 1701230041).

Outgoing U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Mongolia Ambassador to the U.S. Bulgaa Altangerel signed and exchanged letters certifying that their nations completed the bilateral Agreement on Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and Investment, setting the stage for the agreement to activate on March 20, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). The transparency agreement includes joint commitments to provide opportunities for public comment on and to publish final proposed laws and regulations, and includes the obligation to publish final laws and regulations in English, which should make it easier for U.S. and foreign companies to conduct commerce in Mongolia, USTR said. Other commitments include disciplines on bribery and corruption, USTR said. “The U.S.-Mongolia transparency agreement will help to improve and deepen the U.S.-Mongolia trade relationship to the benefit of both of our economies and our workers and businesses,” Froman said in a statement. “Transparency is critical to the proper and efficient functioning of international trade and investment, and the implementation of this agreement will help provide producers, suppliers, exporters and investors with the needed predictability that comes with a clear understanding of the policies and practices that are going to be applied.” The U.S. and Mongolia signed the transparency agreement itself in September 2013. The Jan. 19 signature of letters starts the 60-day clock for the agreement to enter into force.

The Obama administration on Jan. 18 requested World Trade Organization consultations over regulations that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says discriminate against the sale of U.S. wine in grocery stores in British Columbia, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced (here). Regulations that allow only British Columbia wine to be sold in regular grocery stores in the province violate WTO commitments and hurt U.S. wine producers, the USTR said. “American winemakers produce some of the highest-quality, most popular wines in the world,” Froman said in a statement. “The discriminatory regulations implemented by British Columbia intentionally undermine free and fair competition, and appear to breach Canada’s commitments as a WTO member.” Froman and Acting Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse said British Columbia is a new and growing export market for U.S. wine.

The U.S. and Paraguay on Jan. 13 signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, creating a forum for both countries to engage on issues including market access, intellectual property rights protection and cooperation at the World Trade Organization, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced (here). “Paraguay was a founding member of the World Trade Organization, the first country in South America to ratify the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, and has long been a good trading partner of the United States,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement. “Today’s agreement provides a vehicle for strengthening U.S.-Paraguayan trade and investment relations and promoting increased economic opportunities for both countries.” Bilateral goods trade totaled approximately $1.7 billion in 2015, up almost 70 percent from 2005, and the U.S. had a $1.4 billion goods trade surplus with Paraguay in 2015.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Jan. 13 requested that the International Trade Commission conduct investigations on business-to-business and business-to-consumer digital technologies developed for overseas sale, according to a letter he wrote to the commission (here). The ITC should provide three reports on various issues involved, he said. Froman asked for the ITC to complete the first report before Aug. 30, the second report before Oct. 29, 2018, and the third report before March 30, 2019.

The U.S. on Jan. 12 requested World Trade Organization consultations over alleged Chinese subsidies to certain producers of primary aluminum, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). The Obama administration’s action -- its 16th case filed against China at the WTO -- alleged that subsidies have artificially expanded Chinese aluminum capacity, production and market share, and have significantly lowered the global price for primary aluminum, causing “serious prejudice” under WTO rules to U.S. interests, USTR said. China appears to subsidize through “artificially cheap” bank loans and artificially low-priced inputs for aluminum production, such as coal, electricity and alumina, USTR said.