Meetings between Chinese and Australian trade officials last week may have helped with the recent thaw in China-Australia trade relations, with a meeting of high level trade ministers expected soon.

This past week, CTM covered the following issues. In China: * Remarks from Vice Premier Liu He and Ambassador to the European Union Fu Cong * Liu He meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen * Release of latest Chinese trade data In the U.S.: * U.S.-Taiwan trade negotiations * Legislation

In our third post on documents related to U.S.-China negotiations on China's accession to the GATT/WTO, we highlight a number of questions raised by USTR officials regarding China's trade practices at an early stage of the negotiating process.

The Republican Governor of Virginia has blocked a potential investment by Ford Motor Co. and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) in a battery factory in Virginia. Michigan is still being considered as a location for this investment.

Last week, the European Commission issued a decision adopting provisional anti-dumping measures on stainless steel refillable kegs from China. As part of its normal value calculation in the decision, the Commission looked at the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in company management.

Last week, two Republican members of Congress released a discussion draft of a piece of legislation that focuses on trade in the Americas, but has several provisions dealing with China trade issues.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would prohibit sales of oil from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve to entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Prospects for the legislation in the Democrat-controlled Senate are uncertain, however.