On June 29, 2017, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in conjunction with the Department of Commerce (DoC) , published in the Federal Register a request for comments [Docket No. USTR–2017–0010] that they will consider as part of the comprehensive performance reviews required by Executive Order 13796 of April 29, 2017) of all bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral trade agreements and investment agreements to which the United States is a party and all trade relations with countries governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with which the United States does not have free trade agreements but with which the United States runs significant trade deficits in goods. The reviews are to be carried out by USTR and DoC in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and will be considered in the preparation of the subsequent report to the President.
The performance reviews will apply to the 14 free trade agreements (FTAs) currently in force and the 40 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in which the United States is a party. Additionally, the WTO trading partners subject to the performance reviews because of a significant trade deficit with the United States are in alphabetical order: China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Written comments are due by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on July 31, 2017. USTR and DoC strongly prefer electronic submissions made through the Federal eRulemaking Portal as described in the notice.
