President-elect Joe Biden has tapped a China expert to be his U.S. Trade Representative, reflecting the most pressing trade issue his administration will face on day one — the ongoing trade war with the Asian economic powerhouse.
AgWeek reports that Katherine Tai, the top trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee and the former chief counsel on China trade enforcement at the Office of USTR during the Obama administration, will be faced with the delicate détente between the two countries that are still levying tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of products going both ways.
Biden has said he won’t immediately remove those tariffs, essentially leaving “phase one” intact, but he’s also promised to rally traditional U.S. allies to take on China in an effort to curb the country’s intellectual property.