China

Former Vice President Joe Biden will use tariffs only when necessary and only when they are backed by a comprehensive strategy, a top foreign policy adviser said on Tuesday.

An association representing global semiconductor manufacturers is warning the Commerce Department against adding one of its most notable members -- China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation -- to the Entity List, arguing it would serve only to hurt U.S. interests, according to a draft letter obtained by Inside U.S. Trade.

Democrats and human-rights advocates on Thursday expressed disappointment with the Trump administration’s move to ban imports from specific companies believed to be using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province, while apparel industry representatives testifying at the same hearing defended targeted actions rather than a region-wide ban.

The legislation would mandate the establishment of a task force to “identify countervailable subsidies and dumping.”

Despite the Trump administration’s push for U.S. companies to reshore their operations, most U.S. businesses in China are not leaving or are choosing to shift production to other markets, with many citing mild improvements in Beijing’s regulatory environment, according to a new report.

The U.S. and European Union should not prioritize a comprehensive free trade agreement in rebuilding their relationship, EU Director-General for Trade Sabine Weyand said on Tuesday, arguing that a bilateral deal would not address the major challenges facing the global economy like the deterioration of the rules-based system and the emergence of China as an economic powerhouse.

A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel on Tuesday ruled U.S. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods violate WTO rules, rejecting U.S. claims that the two sides had reached a mutual resolution to the case and that the duties were needed to protect public morals.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday moved to block goods made by forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province by issuing five withhold-release orders, instructing CBP officials to seize hair, apparel, cotton and computer parts from specific companies but delaying a broader order that would cover all cotton and tomato products from the region.