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  • The United States may be the world's largest economy for now, but China is the largest trading nation in the world.

  • Despite losing pole position in 2013, trade has been an engine of growth for the United States for decades.

  • And this is where the U.S. trade representative wields considerable influence.

  • For the United States Trade Representative, I nominate Katherine Tai

  • a trusted trade expert, a dedicated public servant who knows government.

  • The job is even more critical amidst the rise of China's economic might and its wider ambitions,

  • such as its Made in China 2025 roadmap and the Belt and Road initiative.

  • These, together with increased protectionism worldwide, will have broader geopolitical implications in the long-term.

  • So, what is the role of a trade czar all about, and how will this affect U.S. trade policies?

  • The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, develops and executes the country's

  • international trade, commodity and direct investment policies, including trade deals.

  • This is done through its offices that handle bilateral negotiations, multilateral deals,

  • sectoral activities, policy coordination and public outreach.

  • Some of these offices cover geographical regions, while others handle specific issues such as

  • intellectual property, textiles, environment and labor.

  • All these are done by a small team of over 200 staff, including lawyers and economists.

  • At the helm is the trade representative - or informally, a trade czar -

  • the principal trade advisor to the President, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues.

  • The number of czars in each administration reads like a laundry list, and the number varies according to who is in the White House.

  • In fact, the termczaris an unofficial title for official advisors to the President.

  • During the Obama administration, there was a “green-jobs czar,“ anEbola czar

  • and get this - anAsian Carp czarto handle the invasive fish species threatening America's biodiversity.

  • Some critics have said that these czars add unnecessary layers of bureaucracy to the government.

  • In 2009, six Republican lawmakers wrote in a letter to Obama that his bevy of czars

  • "may be undermining the constitutional oversight responsibilities of Congress.”

  • But not all czars are created equal, and the informal title is a relatively modern phenomenon

  • that gained ground with Franklin Roosevelt.

  • Most czars are appointed directly by the President, while some, such as the drug czar and the trade czar,

  • must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

  • Until 1962, the trade czar role didn't exist, and the U.S. state department was largely

  • responsible for trade and investment diplomacy.

  • If appointed, Katherine Tai will be the first Asian-American to serve as the trade chief.

  • Her experience in negotiating with China meant that she had wide bipartisan support

  • including from labor and big business groups.

  • Tai, who has family roots in China and Taiwan, is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School.

  • From 2007 to 2014, the Connecticut native worked at the USTR, with the final three years

  • as the chief lawyer to police China trade issues.

  • In 2012, the fluent Mandarin speaker was instrumental in getting 18 other economies to join a landmark case against China

  • at the World Trade Organization regarding its restrictions on rare earth exports.

  • Her subsequent work in Congress on the renegotiated US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and legislation proposals

  • that banned imports made with forced labor in China's Xinjiang region, has drawn bipartisan support for her appointment.

  • Tai's experience in confronting unfair trade practices with China may mean that the trade war

  • between the two countries is unlikely to end anytime soon.

  • But unlike Trump's trade czar Robert Lighthizer's knuckleduster approach of alienating allies,

  • Tai is expected to favor a conciliatory approach.

  • In August 2020, Tai called Lighthizer's tariff warslargely defensiveand outlined a more offensive approach to be

  • "faster, nimbler, able to jump higher and able to compete stronger.”

  • This is in line with Biden's priority to strengthen multilateral ties with traditional

  • U.S. allies in Asia and Europe in dealing with China.

  • During the Obama-Biden administration, she was the chief trade enforcer against unfair trade practices by China,

  • which will be a key priority in the Biden-Harris administration.

  • This might mean that Tai could be instrumental in pivoting the U.S. back to Asia through bilateral trade deals or multilateral ones

  • such as the CPTPP, or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership,

  • which Trump withdrew from in 2017.

  • This will allow the U.S. to have a say in writing the trade rules in the 21st century

  • while countering China's growing influence in the region.

  • This historic nomination comes at a time when multilateralism is in retreat worldwide

  • while China is asserting its might to rewrite the rules of the global order.

  • With global trade battered by the pandemic, challenges brewing domestically

  • and America's international standing eroded, Tai will have her job cut out for her.

  • Trade is like any other tool in our domestic or foreign policy.

  • It is not an end in itself; it is a means to create more hope and opportunity for people.

  • And it only succeeds when the humanity and dignity of every American and of all people

  • lie at the heart of our approach.

  • Hi, everyone. We'd love to know what you think Biden's new trade czar will bring to the table.

  • Thanks for watching, don't forget to subscribe. And stay safe.

The United States may be the world's largest economy for now, but China is the largest trading nation in the world.

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B2 trade tai china representative katherine administration

Who is nominated trade czar Katherine Tai? | CNBC Explains

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    Summer posted on 2021/01/19
Video vocabulary

Keywords

approach

US /əˈprəʊtʃ/

UK /ə'prəʊtʃ/

  • other
  • The means or opportunity to reach something.
  • other
  • To come near or nearer to someone or something in distance or time.
  • other
  • To come near or nearer to someone or something in distance or time.
  • To speak to someone about something, often making a request or proposal.
  • noun
  • Means of reaching a place, often a road or path
  • An initial proposal or request made to someone.
  • A way of dealing with something.
  • Request of someone with a specific goal in mind
  • Specific way to handle a project, task, problem
  • verb
  • To get close to reaching something or somewhere
  • To request someone to do something specific
dedicated

US /ˈdɛdɪˌketɪd/

UK /'dedɪkeɪtɪd/

  • verb
  • To state a person's name in book, song, in respect
  • To formally open or set aside for a specific purpose.
  • To give your energy, time, etc. completely
  • adjective
  • Devoted to a task or purpose; having single-minded loyalty or integrity.
  • Designed for or devoted to a specific purpose or task.
  • Very devoted to a purpose or cause.
  • Exclusively allocated to a particular purpose or use.
  • other
  • To have devoted time, effort, or oneself to a particular task or purpose.
term

US /tɚm/

UK /tɜ:m/

  • noun
  • A condition under which an agreement is made.
  • Conditions applying to an agreement, contract
  • A fixed period for which something lasts, especially a period of study at a school or college.
  • Each of the quantities in a ratio, series, or mathematical expression.
  • A limited period of time during which someone holds an office or position.
  • Length of time something is expected to happen
  • The normal period of gestation.
  • A way in which a person or thing is related to another.
  • Fixed period of weeks for learning at school
  • The (precise) name given to something
  • A word or phrase used to describe a thing or express a concept, especially in a particular kind of language or subject.
  • other
  • Give a specified name or description to.
  • verb
  • To call; give a name to
initiative

US /ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/

UK /ɪ'nɪʃətɪv/

  • noun
  • A new plan or process to achieve something or solve a problem.
  • Ability to come up with solutions by yourself
  • New plan or idea that is meant to fix a problem
  • The ability to assess and initiate things independently.
  • The first step or move toward something.
  • A procedure enabling a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and secure its submission to the electorate or legislature for approval.
  • A procedure enabling citizens to propose laws and submit them to the electorate for approval.
  • A new plan or process to achieve something or solve a problem.
  • other
  • The ability to assess and initiate things independently.
experience

US /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

UK /ɪk'spɪərɪəns/

  • noun
  • An event at which you learned something
  • Thing a person has done or that happened to them
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Knowledge gained by living life, doing new things
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, seeing, or feeling things.
  • other
  • An event or occurrence
  • other
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Something that happens to you that affects how you feel
  • other
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill that is gained from doing something for a period of time
  • Previous work in a particular field.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, feeling, or seeing things
  • other
  • To encounter or undergo (an event or situation)
  • To have something happen to you
  • To have something happen to you
  • verb
  • To gain knowledge by doing things
  • To have something happen to you.
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something
develop

US /dɪˈvɛləp/

UK /dɪ'veləp/

  • verb
  • To explain something in steps and in detail
  • To create or think of something
  • To grow bigger, more complex, or more advanced
  • To make a photograph from film
  • other
  • To invent something or cause something to exist
  • To start to suffer from an illness or other medical condition
  • To improve the quality, strength, or usefulness of something
  • other
  • To (cause something to) grow or change into a more advanced, larger, or stronger form
priority

US /praɪˈɔrɪti, -ˈɑr-/

UK /praɪ'ɒrətɪ/

  • noun
  • Thing that is more important/urgent than others
  • A level of importance assigned to a task or process in a computer system.
  • Something that is very important and must be dealt with before other things.
  • The condition of being regarded or treated as more important than another.
  • The right to go before other traffic.
  • other
  • A parameter relating to a process that determines the order in which it is executed
  • A thing that is regarded as more important than others
  • adjective
  • Denoting something that constitutes a priority.
  • other
  • The fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important than others
  • The right to precede others or take precedence
  • The right of one vehicle or vessel to proceed ahead of others
intellectual

US /ˌɪntlˈɛktʃuəl/

UK /ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl/

  • other
  • a person who is well educated and enjoys activities in which they have to think seriously about things
  • adjective
  • connected with or using a person’s ability to think in a logical way and understand things
  • Appealing to or requiring the use of the intellect.
  • Relating to the intellect or mental understanding.
  • noun
  • A person who engages in critical study and thought.
influence

US / ˈɪnfluəns/

UK /'ɪnflʊəns/

  • noun
  • The power to affect what happens, to persuade etc.
  • A person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.
  • verb
  • To affect or change something indirectly
  • other
  • To have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.
  • To persuade someone to do something.
  • other
  • The ability to control or affect what happens
  • The power to have an effect on someone or something.
commodity

US /kəˈmɑdɪti/

UK /kə'mɒdətɪ/

  • noun
  • Something useful or valuable, usually for sale
  • A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee.
  • An economic good or service that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent regardless of who produced them.
  • Something that can be bought and sold; an object of trade or commerce.
  • In economics, a basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other commodities of the same type.
  • A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee.
  • A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as coffee, oil, or wheat.
  • A useful or valuable thing.
  • A useful or valuable thing, such as skill or knowledge.
  • A valuable quality or thing.
  • A valuable quality or thing.
  • adjective
  • Something that is treated as a simple object of trade or commerce, rather than valued for its intrinsic qualities.
  • other
  • Something that is useful or valued.