Portman Introduces Bill Asking for China Trade Study
On the last day of the current Congress, retiring Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, introduced a bill that would ask the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to analyze the economic integration between the U.S. and China in priority sectors, and the U.S. government's views of how that integration should change over the next five to 19 years.
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For the bill to have a chance of becoming law, other members of Congress would have to reintroduce it in 2023 or 2024.
“We should let data, rather than emotion, drive our debate about trade with China,” said Portman, a former USTR. “By requiring more regular analysis about the types of goods and services we import from China, we can make the strategic decisions necessary to rebalance our trade relationship in ways that are more beneficial to the United States.”
The goods that would be analyzed would be divided into these sectors:
- Electronic consumer goods
- Non-electronic consumer goods
- Energy
- Apparel and textiles
- Information and communication technology, including fifth or future generation technology
- Quantum computing
- Automobiles and trucks and parts for automobiles and trucks
- Ships and maritime transportation
- Trains and railroad products
- Aircraft and aircraft parts
- Space systems
- Semiconductors
- Agricultural products
- Pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
The reports would be produced every three years, and would look at how integration has been changing and is predicted to change, as well as the administration's view of how it should change.
The report also should include "any recommendations for changes to United States trade law or policy to achieve the desired level of integration for each priority sector."