The rollout of actions targeting China continued this week. On Tuesday, the Department of Commerce announced the first anti-subsidy duties on certain Chinese imports due to currency undervaluation, potentially opening the door for many more cases. The administration is also reportedly preparing an update to ‘Military End User’ export controls that it expanded back in April, which includes a list of dozens of Chinese entities with military ties. While the scope and timing of the rule are...
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November 25th, 2020
November 20th, 2020
USCBC understands that the Trump administration is still considering a variety of executive actions targeting China before leaving office, including entity listings of Chinese companies, more restrictions related to Xinjiang forced labor, and increased engagement in the Asia Pacific region. During a Tuesday press briefing, a senior State Department official discussed concerns around illegal Chinese fishing in the South China Sea, and the department today kicked off a new bilateral forum with...
November 13th, 2020
This week, President-elect Joe Biden moved forward with the transfer of power, assembling a transition team to identify people for key cabinet posts. However, President Trump and key officials in his administration have refused to formally concede. Trump dug his heels in even further this week, taking executive actions targeting China that may further challenge the incoming Biden team’s relationship with China, and reflect a final push to accomplish his agenda before he leaves office in 10...
November 6th, 2020
Election results slowly coming into focus
The presidential and congressional elections continue to stretch on without definitive results. While there were very few developments on the China front this week, there will be potentially significant implications for US policy on China and trade once the dust settles on this election.
As it currently stands, former Vice President Joe Biden is likely to win the presidency, but by much smaller margins than polling had projected....
October 30th, 2020
Next week, the United States will elect its next president, recommitting to President Donald Trump for another 4 years or deciding to change course with a new administration under former Vice President Joe Biden. All 435 seats in the House, and a third (33) of those in the Senate are also up for election, in addition to a few special elections to fill vacancies in both chambers. While the House is expected to remain under Democratic control, the results of the closer Senate races could...
October 23rd, 2020
With the election only two weeks away, a variety of polls favoring former Vice President Joe Biden, and recent revelations of President Donald Trump’s business ties to China, Trump and several of the more hawkish officials in the administration have again stepped up anti-China rhetoric. Much of this can be chalked up to a return to the strategy that won Trump the election in 2016, such as remarks by White House economic advisor Peter Navarro claiming the Chinese government is working to...
October 16th, 2020
State and Treasury move forward with congressionally mandated Hong Kong sanctions
On Wednesday, the Department of State issued a report, mandated by the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA), identifying foreign individuals that have contributed to the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also updated a list of Hong Kong and Chinese officials on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list subject to asset-blocking sanctions....
October 9th, 2020
China featured as one key theme of the 2020 VP debate
During the vice presidential debate on Wednesday, moderator Susan Page initiated a discussion about Senator Kamala Harris’ and Vice President Mike Pence’s views on China. Both nominees painted themself as tougher on China than the other, with Pence also using the opportunity to blame China for the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Harris said:
Harris argued that the US trade conflict with China has resulted in a domestic...
October 2nd, 2020
House Republican China Task Force releases sweeping report with 180 recommendations
After months of research, the House Republicans’ China Task Force released its inaugural report on Wednesday. Announced in May of this year, the task force brought together select Republicans from key committees to articulate recommendations for addressing “current and emerging cross-jurisdictional threats from China.” Most of the recommendations in the 130-page report endorse existing bills. It offers...
September 25th, 2020
US district court blocks WeChat ban, TikTok deal approved by the President but final greenlight remains
Just hours before President Trump was set to put restrictions on TikTok and WeChat, both apps were saved from being delisted from US app stores—for now. A TikTok ban was prevented for at least another week due to progress on a deal which would send TikTok’s global headquarters to Texas and allocate a 20 percent share of its business to Oracle and Walmart. The deal is waiting on a...
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USCBC In The News
Don’t Rush to Buy Chinese Stocks Right Now. Here’s Why.
| Barron's |
11/23/2020
Americans fret as time runs out on aid
| The Standard |
11/20/2020
Talking to president of the US-China Business Council
| CGTN |
11/20/2020