The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday heard from witnesses on what “working with allies” on China really entails. First, a focus on soft power in Indo-Pacific, which means funding development projects there. Second, a reminder that a weak, China-dependent Europe makes it harder for them to join forces with Washington.
Both houses of Congress have bills that have passed committees, easily, in regard to building domestic supply of personal protective equipment for medical staff. These bills need to hit the floor so President Biden can sign them. But, more importantly, Buy American provisions face serious WTO risk, making all of this action moot.
The Biden Administration warned American businesses of sanctions risk and other problems in doing business with Hong Kong, now officially part of China. Washington now needs to get Hong Kong out of the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement, which essentially grants China backdoor entrance to Buy America provisions.
A Senate Commerce hearing on supply chain resilience praises the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, but forgets that there is a trade provision in that act that actually does harm to any plans to diversify supply out of China.
The Biden administration is stepping up the pressure on China for its human rights violations against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. U.S. companies in Hong Kong on notice now, too.
Elizabeth Warren, others, say American multinationals too cushy with China. And it’s come at the detriment to American manufacturing labor.
Financial backers of China companies involved in unreasonable surveillance, and Uyghur genocide, put on notice in State Department’s newest Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory.
From the environment to labor, the International Trade Commission looks at a compendium of academic literature over a roughly 18-year period to gauge whether agreements like NAFTA and KORUS were good deals. And for whom.
Jake Sullivan was right. More restrictions against Chinese companies were coming. On July 9, Gina Raimondo’s Commerce Department barred American businesses from working with 22 Chinese tech and military-connected firms. Next up: banning Wall Street from investing in these companies in China.
Dozens of trade organizations like the American Petroleum Institute and the California Retail Association want the House of Representatives to follow the Senate and weaken China tariffs.
