Democratic members of the House Agriculture Committee, including Chairman David Scott, D-Ga., told U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and the agriculture secretary that they are dissatisfied with progress toward dismantling trade barriers to biotech crops in China and Mexico. Their letter, signed by eight committee members, says that when countries like China and Mexico don't allow the imports of these crops, that decision has "a chilling effect on global adoption and commercialization of new technologies. As a result, farmers at home and abroad are forced to choose between innovative technologies or access to foreign markets."
The National Association of Manufacturers CEO is calling on the Biden administration to "act as quickly as possible to finalize and publicize [its China] strategy. Such a clear, robust strategy on China, including U.S.-China trade, would be critical in bolstering manufacturers’ efforts to retain and hire American workers, invest in domestic operations and adjust supply chains, and providing meaningful opportunities for manufacturers to seek targeted relief from broad application of Section 301 tariffs."
Dawn Shackleford, the assistant U.S. trade representative for the World Trade Organization and multilateral affairs, has been chosen to be assistant USTR for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, which covers Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands, in addition to Southeast Asia. "Dawn has demonstrated great skill and expertise across multiple positions at USTR,” USTR Katherine Tai said. “Her diplomatic experience and judgement will be invaluable as we engage our trading partners and resume our work to enhance U.S. economic cooperation in Southeast Asia and across the Pacific.” Shackleford was the lead negotiator on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the lead negotiator for customs and trade facilitation in European trade talks that faltered. She joined USTR in 2004, after working at the Pentagon. Kent Shigetomi will serve as acting assistant USTR for WTO and multilateral affairs.
The U.S. is now facing formal complaints from both Mexico and Canada over how it's calculating regional value content in the auto rules of origin under USMCA. Canada formally joined Mexico's call for consultations, it announced Aug. 26. Canada says that, like Mexico, it does not agree "with the interpretation of the United States of the relationship between the core parts and vehicle regional value content calculations."
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Aug. 23-27 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, in a readout of an Aug. 25 call with Turkey's Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, said that she argued that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's discussions on international taxation are the best way to resolve the issues that led countries to want to impose digital services taxes. The USTR has said that 32 subheadings of Turkish imports could face tariffs if Turkey imposes a DST. The value of goods on the list imported in 2019 was $310 million.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters on a press call that his constituents are saying they're concerned there is a "lack of a trade agenda in this administration." He said that in the months since Katherine Tai was confirmed as U.S. trade representative, "I haven't seen any movement on trade agreements."
A readout of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's video call with the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's China Center Advisory Board said that she told them that the trade relationship with China is important, and there needs to be "a thorough strategic assessment to craft resilient trade policy that supports the Administration’s efforts to create jobs, raise wages, and strengthen our communities." She "reiterated USTR’s commitment to addressing China’s unfair trade policies and non-market practices that undermine American businesses and workers." The readout made no mention of tariffs, but said the business groups talked about the "challenges and opportunities" in the China market.
After Mexico asked it for consultations (see 2108230041), arguing that the NAFTA approach to roll-up should be continued under USCMA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the request is under review. USTR spokesman Adam Hodge said that U.S. government officials "remain committed to fully implementing the USMCA, including the strong auto regional content requirements to which we all agreed.”
A former assistant U.S. trade representative for services and investment is joining Rock Creek Global Advisors as a managing director. A founder of the firm noted that Daniel Bahar led in digital trade policy and negotiations and represented USTR on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). "His experience in negotiating investment rules with China, developing cutting-edge digital trade policy, and dealing with the intersection of national security and global commerce will be of great benefit to our clients," Daniel Price said.