USTR

The U.S. and Kenya on Wednesday kicked off a two-week first round of trade talks and agreed on a framework for U.S. technical assistance and capacity-building efforts in Kenya, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The U.S. and China should focus on the implementation of their initial trade deal, a coalition of key business groups told the administration this week, contending it will liven up the global economy and provide momentum for a phase-two agreement.

Democratic lawmakers are pressing U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for additional information about two agency employees they say solicited consulting work from private companies while still employed by USTR, arguing the conduct “raises questions” about agency ethics policies.

Asked in an interview about a purported phase-two deal if he wins re-election, the president said “I will sort of hold that answer in abeyance.”

The second round of U.S.-United Kingdom trade talks “advanced” a number of chapters and included “detailed discussions on text,” British Trade Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday, though she did not indicate that any chapters were successfully closed out as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer predicted earlier this month.

Trade negotiations between Washington and Nairobi are scheduled to begin next Tuesday, according to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“We fully expect this agreement to be a success.”

The Trump administration should enact a multi-faceted approach to the coronavirus pandemic that avoids major disruptions to the supply chain in the short term and boosts U.S. manufacturing and human capital in relevant industries over the long term, industry executives said this week.

Jennifer Prescott, assistant U.S. Trade Representative for environment and natural resources since 2013, has left the agency to take a position with Amazon Web Services.