U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that she and World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talked about how to "break the deadlock" on intellectual property issues at the WTO so that as many people as possible can get effective vaccines "as fast as possible." The readout, which said Deputy USTR and Chief of Mission, Geneva, Maria Pagan, and Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard were also in the meeting, said that Tai is continuing to engage with members of Congress and stakeholders. Congress is divided on the question of relaxing IP for coronavirus, with many Republicans saying a permissive trade-related intellectual property rights [TRIPS] waiver would undermine the medical research that brought vaccines to market in record time.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is accepting nominations for members to serve on any of 15 Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) for a new four-year “charter term” ending in February 2026, the agency said in a notice. ITACs, under a program run jointly by USTR and the Commerce Department, “provide detailed policy and technical advice, information, and recommendations” on trade barriers, negotiation of trade agreements and the implementation of existing trade agreements affecting industry sectors,” the notice says. ITACs also “perform other advisory functions relevant to U.S. trade policy matters,” it says. There’s no deadline for applications, as the program “will accept nominations throughout the charter term,” it says.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking applications from people interested in serving on the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade. Nominations for a four-year term should be submitted by May 4.

The top trade official on the European Commission said that Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine revealed how important it was that he and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai "spent last year fixing some aspects of U.S.-EU relations," and then moved to a forward-looking agenda with the Trade and Technology Council. Tai, who spoke remotely to the Brussels business audience hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in the EU on March 24, called EC Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis a good friend.

The top trade official in the British government and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said they want to do even more trade and investment between the two countries, even as a free-trade agreement is not the end goal. Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan had hoped that the Biden administration would continue the free trade negotiations started during the Trump administration, but that has not happened. Marjorie Chorlins, who leads the U.S.-U.K. Business Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also spoke at the March 21 plenary in Baltimore, saying the business community strongly supports more U.S.-U.K. economic cooperation.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which is leading negotiations with Asian countries on a "fair and resilient trade" pillar in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, published a Federal Register notice requesting comments on what the U.S. should prioritize under that rubric. It also said it welcomes comments on which countries should be included in the IPEF. Comments are due by April 11.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said March 4 she discussed global steel and aluminum excess capacity with Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Al-Zayan. Bahrain has the largest aluminum smelter outside China, and some of its products have been subject to American trade remedies.

After anxiety among some Democrats in the House that the union election at an auto parts factory in Matamoros, Mexico, would not be fair, the workers at Tridonex chose the Sindicato Nacional Independiente de Trabajadores de Industrias y Servicios, replacing a captive union that had represented the workers. The AFL-CIO had asked that the election be subject to a rapid response under USMCA, and the AFL-CIO said, "we will continue to support the union’s fight to negotiate a fair contract with the company. At the same time, we call on Mexican authorities to investigate disturbing allegations of bribery by the incumbent protection union in an effort to steal the election."

Leading trade officials from Mexico, Canada and the U.S. talked about how to collaborate on more resilient supply chains during a webinar hosted by a prominent Washington think tank, but the conversation could not avoid some of the touchy issues in the trilateral relationship.

A series of readouts from U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai after Feb. 23 meetings with German officials emphasized how the European Union and the U.S. need to work together to confront "global trade challenges, including those presented by non-market economies." Tai met with Germany's federal minister for economic affairs and climate action, Germany's state secretary for international and EU affairs and the state secretary of the federal foreign office. She said she also spoke about the need to develop resilient supply chains. Tai also met with the leaders of the Transatlantic Business Initiative on Feb 23, and she and the group "agreed that transatlantic trade policy should reflect and promote our common values, including those that support workers and the environment," according to a USTR readout.