President-Elect Biden has announced the nomination of Katherine Tai as the U.S. Trade Representative, a cabinet position requiring confirmation.  Ms. Tai graduated from Yale University and earned a law degree from Harvard.  She spent two years teaching at the ZhongShan University in Guangzhou as a Yale-China fellow.

Ms. Tai served as an attorney with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for seven years with special consentration on China.  She has served as the Chief Trade Council on the House Ways and Means Committee since 2017 as a lead advisor to the Committee chairman on international trade issues.  She was most recently involved in negotiating labor provisions for the USMCA.  Her candidacy is strongly supported by both liberal and moderate elements of the Democratic party and she has the support of prominent legislators, those advocating diversity in the Cabinet and industry associations exporting to China.

According to statements, the incoming Administration intends to retain current tariffs imposed on imports from China.  Despite strenuous negotiations and efforts by Robert Lighthizer, the trade deficit with China will be higher in 2020 than in 2017.  A Biden initiative to “buy America” and legislation and funding of infrastructure and manufacturing is intended to address the disparity in trade between the U.S. and China.