The Alliance for Trade Enforcement, a coalition of trade associations and business groups, says the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity needs effective dispute settlement to fulfill its promise for American exporters.
The Housing Affordability Coalition, a new group inspired by the invitation to submit information to the government about the economic impact of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, is arguing that higher tariffs on such items as vinyl flooring, cabinets, light fixtures, windows and the like is contributing to higher costs for new houses.
Large U.S. multinationals are more pessimistic about doing business in China than they have ever been, but it's not because they have come to expect the Section 301 tariffs will never go away. Rather, the annual U.S.-China Business Council membership survey found that lockdowns to control COVID-19 are the top problem for companies doing business in China, with 96% of respondents saying the lockdowns hurt their firms, and 48% saying that there was a severe negative impact.
The Coalition for GSP released a new analysis of trade data that says $1.7 billion was paid in tariffs that would have been eliminated through the Generalized System of Preferences from the benefits program's expiration through the end of June. Importers who want to take advantage of GSP mark those entries as such, because their tariffs will be refunded once it is renewed.
Correction: Richard Harper, director of government affairs at the Outdoor Industry Association, noted, during an International Trade Commission hearing, that supply chains moved out of China for outdoor goods and other types of goods (see 2207210015).
The Alliance for American Manufacturing said more than 50,000 people have written to members of Congress asking them to pass a bill that would change antidumping and countervailing duty laws, known as Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0, but sent emails asking people to call senators and ask them to include it in the narrower China package under consideration.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said July 18 that it hopes that members of Congress will pass funding for semiconductor chip manufacturing this week. Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said: “Passing this legislation to incentivize semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing in the United States will strengthen our economy and our national security. Recently, more than 240 state and local chambers of commerce and other business associations wrote to Congress urging swift action on these measures.
Ahead of a meeting of the top trade officials of Canada, Mexico and the U.S., business groups from all three countries said each country is taking "steps that have undermined or risk undermining the benefits negotiated through enactment of the USMCA." The Business Roundtable, the Business Council of Canada and the Consejo Mexicano de Negocios did not specify what actions they find troubling. They did say that governments and business interests should work together since "[b]usinesses, workers, farmers, and families are navigating many challenges and risks, including rising costs due to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages."
An advocacy group for the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program showed that purchases of 25 products that were once covered by GSP have shifted back to China since the program's expiration.
The Coalition for Economic Partnerships in the Americas has posted its recommendations for changes to the short-supply rules in CAFTA-DR, the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement.