'Pressure' Biden Admin on FTAs, Former Official Tells Congress

Congress should “pressure” the Biden administration to pursue free trade deals with the U.K., Kenya, Taiwan and others if it wants to convince U.S. allies to move supply chains out of China, said Clete Willems, a former National Security Council official. Willems, speaking during a House Financial Services Committee hearing this week, also called on the administration to join and renegotiate the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, arguing the U.S. needs to match China’s “aggressive pursuit” of trade deals, specifically mentioning the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

“As a result of [RCEP], it is now easier for 14 other countries in the Indo-Pacific to link their supply chains with China and with each other than with the United States,” said Willems, an Akin Gump lawyer. “This is unacceptable.” If the U.S. wants "companies to move supply chains out of China," he said, "we need to provide them with meaningful incentives to do so."

Willems said more trade deals are “key” for the U.S. goal of reducing its reliance on Chinese critical goods. "If we are serious about competing with China on supply chain issues, we need a serious trade policy to match."