USTR

Data released Thursday by China’s Customs Administration shows China is importing less from the U.S. than it was a year ago through April, despite Beijing’s promise to increase its purchases of American goods by about 60 percent from last year’s totals.

The U.S. on Wednesday notified the World Trade Organization that because Washington state has terminated illegal subsidies it was providing to Boeing, the European Union has no justification to retaliate against the U.S.

The U.S. and United Kingdom formally kicked off bilateral trade negotiations on Tuesday, aiming to initiate talks in all chapters of a comprehensive agreement over the next two weeks.

“This purely political act is another example of the Administration’s notorious pattern of using the U.S. government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon.”

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday discussed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s looming entry-into-force and enforcement issues with Democrats on the House Ways & Means trade subcommittee.

“We encourage swift action to seize this opportunity in the coming months and deliver results never previously achieved.”

A limited deal between the U.S. and Brazil on trade facilitation, regulatory practices and transparency is feasible and in both countries’ interests, according to Kellie Meiman Hock, a former director for Brazil and the Southern Cone in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“I don’t think the USTR has a very good sense of what has to happen for a good agreement to come about in Kenya.”

An earlier version passed by the Senate called for a free trade agreement.