China

Hong Kong wants a dispute panel to determine whether the U.S. measure is in line with WTO rules.

China’s Ministry of Commerce this week named a veteran trade hand to serve as its new chief international trade negotiator and published the full text of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership as Beijing continues its political maneuvering just days before President-elect Biden takes office.

A high-level U.S.-China meeting is not likely to take place early in President-elect Joe Biden’s term, U.S.-China Business Council President Craig Allen argued on Thursday, pointing to the pandemic and the lack of a confirmed Cabinet as the major obstacles.

The Chinese government has responded to a litany of U.S. restrictions imposed by the Trump administration by releasing a blocking statute that will allow Chinese companies to seek civil damages from companies abiding by restrictions Beijing deems unfair.

European and Australian officials this week urged the incoming Biden administration to work with them in taking on China, including by reforming the World Trade Organization.

The department cited the transition to the Biden administration in announcing it had scrapped all travel plans this week, including Secretary Pompeo’s trip to Europe.

Technology industry representatives say they are hopeful the Biden administration will bring stability and process back to regulatory policy making after four years of dealing with a mercurial Trump administration that was at times insufficiently engaged with the private sector and had a proclivity for taking action via unexpected executive orders.