Simon Lester
U.S. Commerce Secretary Nominee Talks China Tech Competition at Congressional Hearing
President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, had a confirmation hearing in the Senate today, with China trade issues seeing only a limited discussion. Several Republican Senators raised issues related to tech and AI competition, with Lutnick offering a response that was tough, but light on
At WTO Meeting, China Presses Colombia, Indonesia on Safeguard Practices
At the WTO Committee on Safeguards meeting of October 28, 2024, for which the minutes were recently circulated, China raised an issue related to the notification of Colombia's safeguard measure on wire rods and also criticized Indonesia's safeguards practices.
WTO Anti-Dumping Meeting Discusses Chinese Brandy/Pork Investigations
At the WTO Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices meeting of October 30, 2024, for which the minutes were recently circulated, the EU and Japan raised concerns with various Chinese anti-dumping measures, and China criticized UK practices related to the Brexit transition.
USTR Announces Compliance Review for Phase One Deal
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Friday that it would review the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (generally referred to as the "Phase One"
EU's WTO Complaint against China's Trade Restrictions on Lithuania Restarts
News reports indicate that the EU has restarted its WTO complaint against Chinese restrictions on Lithuanian trade, although the EU action may simply be a procedural move to prevent the panel process from lapsing.
CTM Weekly Newsletter
This past week, CTM covered the following issues:
In China:
* Beijing’s response to potential TikTok deal and U.S. tariffs
* Sanction status of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
* Updates on China’s trade-in subsidy programs to boost domestic consumption
* New policy to open financial services
* Potential expansion
Trump, EU Trade Commissioner Comment on China Trade Balance at WEF
At the World Economic Forum today, both President Trump and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič offered comments on some big picture questions surrounding trade relations with China, with Trump complaining about trade deficits and unfairness and Šefčovič also noting concerns with trade imbalances.