China announced that it is "firmly opposed" to both the U.S. decision to open a new Section 301 investigation on allegedly unfair practices in China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors (see 2404170029) and President Joe Biden's call for a "tripling" of the existing Section 301 tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum (see 2404170040).
Exports to China
China and El Salvador launched free trade agreement negotiations on April 17, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. El Salvador's minister of economy and China's international trade negotiator and vice minister made the virtual announcement.
The two top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on China on April 16 asked the State Department to “intensify and elevate its global diplomatic efforts” to ensure the EU passes an agreement to ban imports of goods made with forced labor.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai gave testimony April 17 to the Senate Finance Committee regarding President Joe Biden’s 2024 trade policy agenda. She touched mainly on trade deal enforcement, U.S. exporters’ access to new markets and the USTR’s new stance on digital trade, though she also discussed issues such as forced labor and the upcoming legislation on the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said April 17 she’s concerned that a host of upcoming elections around the world could fuel harmful sentiment against international trade.
Congress should approve tougher sanctions and import restrictions to stem the deadly and illegal flow of fentanyl into the U.S., the House Select Committee on China said in a new report April 16.
The full House and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee each approved several Iran sanctions bills this week, reflecting increasing congressional concern about Tehran's behavior.
A former North Korean official serving in Thailand, Myong Ho Ri, was charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions, bank fraud and money laundering, DOJ announced.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, criticized the Biden administration last week for reportedly allowing Intel to export “cutting-edge chip technology” to China’s Huawei for use in the new Matebook X Pro computer, even though Huawei has been on the Commerce Department’s Entity List since 2019 (see 1905160072).