House Democrats introduce America COMPETES Act
On Tuesday evening, House Democrats unveiled a comprehensive China bill—the America COMPETES Act—a step toward readying the bill to be conferenced with the Senate’s US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). See here for the press release, bill text, section-by-section summary, and fact sheet on the House bill.
According to USCBC sources, lawmakers must submit amendments to the America COMPETES Act by the end of the week, setting...
Forced labor task force to seek input on implementing ban on Xinjiang imports
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force released a federal register notice asking stakeholders for input on how the US government should implement the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which starting in late June will ban any imports from Xinjiang unless the importer can prove its supply chain is free of forced labor. Comments will be...
The US government has been uncharacteristically quiet on China policy issues since the start of 2022. Publicly, the focus of lawmakers and the administration remains on domestic matters, but privately, trade and foreign policy staff are negotiating and drafting major proposals that could have an outsized impact on the US business community once these efforts move forward this year.
UFLPA benchmarking outreach
Now that the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has been...
Uyghur forced labor law enacted, starting 180-day countdown to import ban
On December 23, President Joe Biden enacted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which blocks the import of all goods with ties to Xinjiang over forced labor concerns. The rebuttable presumption, the mechanism that bans these imports unless an importer can prove its supply chain is free from forced labor, is scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday, June 21.
Before June 22, a Department of Homeland...
Uyghur bill passes, enabling Burns confirmation vote
Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Nicholas Burns as US ambassador to China after Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) released their hold on his nomination following the passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The idea for a trade off was first conceived on Wednesday, when Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) argued that Burns and other State Department nominees must be confirmed so the United States “has the...
US and allies pledge diplomatic boycott of Olympics
On Monday, the White House announced a diplomatic boycott of the winter games hosted in Beijing in February next year in response to China’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The United States was quickly joined by Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada, which have each decided not to send diplomatic or official government representation to the games. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the boycott takes a...
Senate gridlock continues to stall NDAA progress
This week, the Senate resumed consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (NDAA). Though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had hoped to pass the Senate’s version of the annual defense bill by the end of the week and begin conferencing with the House, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blocked Schumer’s attempt on Monday to begin voting on the Senate NDAA over concerns that non-China-...
Biden-Xi virtual meeting works to prevent unintended conflict through dialogue
On Monday, Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting with several members of their senior staff to discuss the trajectory of the US-China relationship. The talks focused more on managing strategic risks and preventing unintentional conflict than devising solutions for contentious issues in the bilateral relationship. If you missed it, USCBC’s analysis of the meeting is available here....
Biden and Xi present at APEC ahead of bilateral summit on Monday
Today, presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping each spoke at the virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting. Biden highlighted opportunities for the United States and Indo-Pacific nations to act collectively on issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, and stressed the need for shared cybersecurity and digital economy standards. Xi struck a similar tone on the pandemic and climate...
Yellen supports a reciprocal “stabilizing” or eventual lowering of US-China tariffs
This week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters that US Trade Representative Katherine Tai could consider “stabilizing” and eventually reciprocally lowering some US-China tariffs, which could have a “disinflationary” effect in the face of soaring prices in the United States. At the same time, Yellen noted that the Office of the US Trade Representative would continue to push for China to...
