Trump Admin to put Taiwan on its list of nations causing significant trade deficits

Taichung by night.

US-Taiwan Business Council sent this around. People had been saying Taiwan would probably not make it onto this list. Potentially very bad news:

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Notice of Investigation: 

Commerce/USTR Report on Significant Trade Deficits Will Include Taiwan

Comment Deadline - May 10, 2017

Public Hearing - May 18, 2017

https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ITA-2017-0003

On March 31 2017, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order[i] directing the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to work with other relevant agencies within the U.S. government to produce an Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits.

Taiwan has been identified as one of the foreign trading partners with which the U.S. have significant trade deficits, and the U.S.-Taiwan trade relationship will therefore be investigated as part of the research for the Omnibus Report. The report will examine the major causes of the trade deficits, will attempt to determine if trading partners are unfairly disadvantaging the U.S., will assess the effects of the trade relationship on U.S. production capacity/industrial strength, and will measure the impact of the trade relationship on employment and wage growth. It will also identify imports and trade practices that may be impairing the national security of the U.S.

The International Trade Administration has announced that it is currently accepting public comments as part of their investigations for this report. ITA is also accepting requests to appear with testimony at the public hearing, which will take place on May 18, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Comments on this investigation, along with requests to appear at the hearing, can be submitted online until May 10, 2017.

For more information, and to submit comments to the ITA on the Taiwan trade relationship, please see USITA Docket ITA-2017-0003:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ITA-2017-0003

If you have any questions about this notice of investigation, please don’t hesitate to contact the US-Taiwan Business Council.
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