Subtitles section Play video
-
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 term “czar” is an unofficial title for official advisors to the President.
-
During the Obama administration, there was a “green-jobs czar,“ an “Ebola czar”
-
and get this - an “Asian Carp czar” to 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 wars “largely defensive” and 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.
