President Biden will need to press the Europeans a little more if he wants to use his “work with allies” approach on dealing with China’s genocide policies against Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang.
A House Small Business Committee hearing listened to witnesses discuss ways to help the labor markets in Biden’s push for a green economy for blue-collar workers.
The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the one-year anniversary of the USMCA. U.S Steelworkers Union, and others, say where the new NAFTA is working, and where it’s not.
The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade heard from witnesses on forced labor practices worldwide, and whether or not current measures are putting a dent in it or not.
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.
