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In this week’s episode of WITA’s Trade Exchange, our insiders examine EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic’s visit to Beijing and the Franco-German “non-paper,” weighing whether a kill switch can deliver a second strike capability amid China’s leverage in critical minerals, rare earths, and intermediate goods. The panel considers whether the push is more substantive or theatrical ahead of next week’s European Council meeting, and whether momentum from the G20 and the Milwaukee framework can produce collective action while everyone waits on the Section 301 report. The conversation then turns to the USMCA, where Mexico hopes to land an interim agreement on Section 232 tariffs, Canada remains in a holding pattern, and USTR has already posted its public comment request for a 2027 USMCA review. The panelists also weigh how voters are associating tariffs with price increases ahead of the midterm elections. They close on India’s stuck negotiations, now muddied by the Russian sanctions bill and its October 18th deadline, and on whether a potential President Bolsonaro in Brazil would bring more affinity on trade or a complicated dance given Brazil’s own China exposure. Featured Speakers: Dawn Shackleford, President at Looking Glass Trade, LLC; former Executive Director for Trade Agreements Policy & Negotiations, Department of Commerce; former Assistant USTR for WTO & Multilateral Affairs Kelly Ann Shaw, Partner, Akin; former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs & Deputy Director, National Economic Council in the first Trump Administration Mike Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Discussion leader today, Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Our trade insiders weigh the fallout from the summit between President Trump and President Xi, where the good news was no real news: a truce extended through January 10, a Board of Trade announcement on $60 billion of non-sensitive goods for reduced tariffs, and new purchasing commitments on coal. The panel considers how Europe views the US-China outcomes as Turnberry implementation talks begin; Sefcovic heads to Beijing; and ministers weigh a quicker type of trade enforcement instrument. Our podcasters then examine the plurilateral steel framework from the G20 Trade Minister meeting, with a focus on excess capacity and transshipment, and ask whether it is compatible with the loudly ticking Russia sanctions clock and the China truce. The panelists then turn to skeptical questions from the Court of International Trade on the forced labor 301, the delayed excess capacity 301s as APEC and the midterms approach, and the cutoff of iced wine, three-wheeled vehicles, whey and dairy derivatives from Canada. They close on whether Congress can reassert control over tariffs after the midterms, and whether working with allies and stability with China can coexist before the two tracks cross. Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Blake Harden, Managing Director, Washington Council Ernst & Young; previously served as Trade Counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee; and in the office of the Chief Counsel at U.S. Customs and Border Protection Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Moderator: Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week

Our trade insiders unpack President Xi's visit, a victory for constructive strategic stability in that very little happened, with an extension of the trade truce, reportedly to January 10th, as its strongest deliverable. The panel weighs a summit long on pomp and short on substance, with no delegation of Chinese CEOs, and asks whether the administration is simply ragging the puck to buy time while China's domestic economy struggles. The conversation turns to diversifying away from Chinese inputs, from critical minerals to Chinese monopolies in intermediate goods far beyond rare earths, and whether the Hill will have to pay to address these choke points. The panelists then debate whether the Structural Excess Capacity 301 risks losing the plot by lashing out at countries other than China, and why USTR's legal position on the Forced Labor 301 may be quite strong ahead of next week's CIT hearing. They close with possible diesel export controls in advance of the U.S. elections. Featured Speakers: Peter Harrell, Visiting Scholar, Georgetown Institute for International Economic Law; former Senior Director, International Economics, at the White House under President Biden. Chris Padilla, Senior Advisor, Brunswick Group; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade whose Substack and LinkedIn posts, along with Peter’s, are much reads for trade nerds. Stephen Vaughn, Partner, International Trade, King & Spalding LLP; former General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative in first Trump Administration; and newly named nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. Moderator: Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative.

This week's episode leads with the Russia sanctions bill, which grants new tariff authority to the President. Then our panelists turn to the delayed structural excess capacity Section 301s and President Xi's planned visit to Washington next week. Our trade insiders also weigh whether artificial intelligence could become a genuine topic between the United States and China at the summit. The panel closes on Prime Minister Carney's visit to the EU; the UN General Assembly; and Brazil's upcoming election. Featured Speakers: Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week Arun Venkataraman, Partner, Covington & Burling; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce & Director General of the US & Foreign Commercial Service; and former Director for India and associate general council at USTR Michael Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Moderator: Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Marking the one year anniversary of The Friday Exchange, our trade insiders open up with personal reflections on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and the extraordinary international solidarity they witnessed while serving in and around USTR.They then turn to another turbulent week in trade, as Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect, prompting a United States response with another round of counter-retaliation. They touch on the proposed use of Section 338, the escalating U.S.-Canada dispute, Prime Minister Carney’s upcoming visit to Europe, and what it could all mean for upcoming U.S.-Mexico talks.Looking ahead, the group previews the September 24 U.S.-China summit, weighs expectations for possible deliverables, and considers how the pending Section 301 excess capacity actions could affect the EU, India, and other trading partners. They close with the BRICS summit in Delhi, India’s growing focus on bilateral market access, including with China, and the continued momentum behind CPTPP as countries look to deepen trade ties beyond the United States. Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Mark Linscott, former Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia and before that WTO and Multilateral Affairs and currently a Senior Advisor at the Asia Group and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in their Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

Featured Speakers: Dawn Shackleford, President at Looking Glass Trade, LLC; former Executive Director for Trade Agreements Policy & Negotiations, Department of Commerce; former Assistant USTR for WTO & Multilateral Affairs Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week Chris Padilla, Senior Advisor, Brunswick Group; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in their Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

In this week's episode, our trade insiders unpack the collapse of a U.S.-Canada deal, tracing a week that moved from Smoot-Hawley-level tariffs and calibrated Canadian retaliation to Ambassador Greer's French-language olive branch and Prime Minister Carney's decision to walk away at the eleventh hour. The panel examines the politics surrounding Carney's decision and the three major sticking points of heavy trucks, French-language protections, and coordination on China. They consider what Canada's simultaneous engagement with the EU and China could mean for its broader trade strategy, and lastly close with a look at how the U.S.-Canada standoff is playing in Europe ahead of Carney's high-profile address in Strasbourg. Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Stephen Vaughn, Partner, International Trade, King & Spalding LLP; former General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative under first Trump Administration Moderator: Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative

With a deadline approaching on the Smoot Hawley Section 338 tariffs threatening $20 billion in Canadian imports, our trade insiders unpack a deal no one has seen yet, from what relief on autos, aluminum, steel, and lumber might look like to what the US may have secured on dairy and the removal of retaliation on autos and liquor. They weigh whether it's a win-win or a negotiating ploy to declare victory before the deal is finalized; whether Prime Minister Carney can sell it to the premiers; and what a revived Keystone XL might add to bilateral relations. Then to Mexico, the good student that has been addressing US concerns unilaterally for a year and only now watches Canada land 232 relief first. Finally, the long delayed 301 report on structural excess capacity: a serious effort to negotiate away barriers, or a pretext to replace the tariffs the Supreme Court threw out? They close on an agency under stress, doing everything everywhere all at once. Featured Speakers: Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week Kate Kalutkiewicz, Senior Managing Director, McLarty Associates; former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Trade, National Economic Council, in the first Trump Administration Chris Padilla, Senior Advisor, Brunswick Group; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Moderator: Mike Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

Our trade insiders count down to the August 19th tariff deadline with Canada. Is an interim deal in the card and does trading away autos, steel, and aluminum leverage help or hurt the USMCA review and talks with Mexico? Then they turn to stalled Southeast Asian and Indian negotiations awaiting the pending excess capacity 301s, with deals already struck sitting unratified while countries jockey over rates and coverage. And the core debate: do the administration's latest China moves, new drone and polysilicon tariffs layered onto an existing truce, amount to kicking the dog to avoid poking the bear? What does that signal to neighbors wary of Beijing landing the better deal? They close with a weary eye on the administration's transshipment report and its missing piece: a plan to work with allies rather than go it alone. Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative Mark Linscott, former Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia and before that WTO and Multilateral Affairs and currently a Senior Advisor at the Asia Group and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in their Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

In this week's episode, our trade insiders examine the wave of Section 301 tariffs tied to forced labor claims. They dig into the legal framework for these actions, the countries identified in the forced labor Section 301 investigation, and prior court decisions involving USTR and executive branch trade actions. The insiders also cover the excess capacity investigation and its potential implications for countries such as Vietnam and the European Union. The panel then turns to the current state of the U.S.–China trade truce ahead of a high-level Chinese visit expected next month and the broader outlook for bilateral trade relations. They also discuss the possibility of a Section 301 investigation involving EU digital trade and how it intersects with the Turnberry discussions, before concluding with the tariff uncertainty surrounding Canada amid the ongoing USMCA review and broader negotiations. Featured Speakers: Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week Blake Harden, Managing Director, Washington Council Ernst & Young; previously served as Trade Counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee; and in the office of the Chief Counsel at U.S. Customs and Border Protection Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Moderator: Mike Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

This week's episode examines the legal durability of Section 301 tariffs and the untested Section 338s as tools for enforcing forced-labor and discrimination-based tariffs. The insiders weighed how each section could fare before the courts and what procedural gaps, like country-specific fact-finding, could weaken them on appeal. The panelists consider whether these actions are genuinely about changing trading partners' practices or simply generating leverage against China. The conversation then turns to the state of the USMCA review, contrasting a relatively measured negotiating track with Mexico against a more contentious relationship with Canada shaped by ongoing rules-of-origin disputes and broader trade tensions. The panel wraps up with a discussion of China's response to recent excess capacity claims and why the debate is likely to remain at the center of U.S.-China trade policy. Featured Speakers: Peter Harrell, Visiting Scholar, Georgetown Institute for International Economic Law; former Senior Director, International Economics, at the White House under President Biden, whose LinkedIn posts, along with Wendy’s, are much reads for trade nerds. Stephen Vaughn, Partner, International Trade, King & Spalding LLP; former General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative under first Trump Administration Arun Venkataraman, Partner, Covington & Burling; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce & Director General of the US & Foreign Commercial Service; and former Director for India and associate general council at USTR Moderator: Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative

In this week's episode, our trade insiders dissect the administration's newly imposed Section 301 tariffs on forced labor, hitting 60 trading partners. Our former negotiators debate the legal standing of the tariffs and the likelihood of whether or not they’ll hold up in court. They also unpack the novel use of Section 338 to threaten Canada ahead of the USMCA review, and the Pandora's box it might become. Finally, the insiders discuss looming excess capacity 301s, the EU's relief over Turnberry, and the case for a bipartisan review to modernize America's trade laws. Featured Speakers:  Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Chris Padilla, Senior Advisor, Brunswick Group; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in their Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

In this week's episode, our trade insiders dug into the “Graham Bill” - the bipartisan, bicameral Russia sanctions bill and its open-ended tariff authority. They debated its potential trade repercussions, whether tariffs or targeted export controls are the more effective tool, and whether placing tariffs on allies drives wedges rather than results. They also examined the administration's broader push to reconstruct a tariff regime reminiscent of the IEEPA era, Brazil's Section 301 case as a possible preview of what's ahead, stalled negotiations with India, Vietnam's own Section 301 investigation, and why trading partners may be slow-walking talks. The episode also returned to a broader question running through the discussion: will Congress take steps to reclaim its trade authority, or continue delegating authority to the Executive? Featured Speakers: Blake Harden, Managing Director, Washington Council Ernst & Young; previously served as Trade Counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee; and in the office of the Chief Counsel at U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mayur Patel, Partner, Hogan Lovells; former Chief International Trade Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Neena Shenai, Partner, International Trade Investment and Market Access, WilmerHale; former Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Industry and Security at the US Department of Commerce; and former Trade Counsel, House Committee on Ways and Means Moderator: Mike Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance

In this week's episode, our trade insiders discussed the Spain tariff threat and its quick reversal, and what that sequence of events suggests about navigating President Trump’s tariff threats in a post-IEEPA world. The panel also examined how "national security" is being applied as a basis for tariff action across a wide range of products and countries, and discussed the ongoing question about the Congressional role role in setting trade law given the Cold-War era measures like Section 301, 122, and 232 are being used for 21st Century economic and national security purposes.Our trade experts then turned to the Section 301 investigation on forced labor, including a firsthand account of this week's USTR hearings, the standards at issue, and the potential for future litigation. The insiders also covered a joint statement from industry groups representing the apparel and textile sectors, recent developments in the excess capacity case, and a new Section 232 finding on aircraft parts that may point to a broader pattern in how these investigations are being resolved. Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

In this week's episode, our trade insiders examine the ongoing USMCA review process, including proposed tariff actions on Canada and Mexico and the debate over how trade deficits should be interpreted in the context of integrated North American supply chains. The panel discusses the possibility of a U.S. withdrawal threat as a negotiating tool, the role of Chinese investment in Canada and Mexico, and what a near-term agreement with Mexico on agriculture might look like ahead of the midterms. The conversation then turns to Europe, tracing how a Section 301 investigation into German pharmaceutical pricing intersects with domestic policy debates in Germany, as well as broader questions about EU industrial policy, technology sovereignty, and the bloc's evolving approach to China. Featured Speakers: Introduction: Kenneth Levinson, CEO, WITA – The International Trade Association Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia