• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts
China Business Review
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
China Business Review
No Result
View All Result
Home Policy & Regulations

What Congressional Elections Mean for US-China Trade

USCBC by USCBC
November 6, 2014
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterLinkedin

By Stephanie Henry

Though China did not play a major role in many congressional midterm elections, the makeup of the new republican-led Congress may have a significant impact on US-China commercial and trade issues in 2015 and beyond.

At the start of the 114th Congress in January, republicans will hold at least 52 seats in the Senate—retaking the majority and the chairmanships for each committee. Republicans also strengthened their majority in the House, gaining at least 13 seats, with several races still to be determined.

With the Senate changeover, chances for President Barack Obama’s stalled trade agenda have improved. Senior republicans, including prospective Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have vowed to cooperate with the administration on this issue. “Most of my members think that America’s a winner in international trade,” McConnell said in an interview with Time magazine.

Committee leadership shifts in the Senate

Other China-related priorities will likely shift along with leadership changes in the Senate and the House. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now chaired by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), is expected to be chaired by Ranking Member Bob Corker (R-TN). Corker will oversee the committee vetting the US-China bilateral investment treaty (BIT), once it is completed. Corker has been a consistent supporter of free trade, including opposing currency legislation when the Senate took it up in 2011.

Other committees with jurisdiction over China issues will also see leadership changes, including the Senate Finance Committee. Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is expected to take over the committee chairmanship from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). In his time as chair, Wyden focused on several China-related issues, including digital trade, cybertheft, energy, and trade enforcement. Hatch may focus on enforcement issues, especially in the areas of intellectual property rights and innovation. Hatch has been a supporter of free trade in the Senate, opposing currency legislation in 2011 and voting in support of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China in 2000.

The Finance Committee’s jurisdiction covers issues including trade agreements, customs, and tariff and import quotas. The committee is also charged with vetting nominees to key trade posts in the Departments of Treasury and Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative. Though most of those posts are currently filled, the new republican majority will determine the future of any prospective nominees.

Turnover in the House

In the House, republicans already hold the majority and therefore all committee chairmanships. But turnover could affect existing China-related legislation. For example, past Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bills had provisions that restricted US agencies’ procurement of IT systems from countries deemed “cyber threats,” such as China. The bill was overseen by the House Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Chair Frank Wolf (R-VA-10), who is retiring at the end of 2014. The next chair of the subcommittee will be determined by the republican caucus. It is unclear if the next chair will hold views similar to Wolf’s on China issues.

The House Ways and Means Committee will also see turnover in its chair, as Dave Camp (R-CA) retires from his post. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is seeking to replace him. Ryan called for China to be labelled a “currency manipulator” during the 2012 Mitt Romney campaign, but he has taken a less ardent view in the House. In 2010, for example, he voted against legislation that would have expanded presidential tariff-setting powers against countries with “fundamentally undervalued” currencies. Also voting against the bill was a potential challenger to Ryan’s chairmanship, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX). Brady has a strong voting record on trade, and has called for Congress to focus on other issues in the China trade relationship, including intellectual property rights protection, innovation, and the unfair advantages given to domestic companies.

The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade will also likely see a shift in chairmanship, as current Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) is expected to seek the post left vacant by outgoing Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI). Congressmen Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Charles Boustany (R-LA) are reportedly both interested in the subcommittee chairmanship. While both congressmen take very pro-trade views on China, Reichert could focus more heavily on agriculture-related issues, while Boustany might focus more on energy concerns. Boustany is current co-chair of the US China House Working Group.

While the Ways and Means Committee is likely to focus next year on the conclusion of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and renewal of Trade Promotion Authority, other China-related issues may also arise. Such issues may include investment barriers in China, BIT negotiations, trade secret theft, compliance with international trade rules, conclusion of the Information Technology Agreement negotiations, and domestic economic reforms in China.

[author] Stephanie Henry ([email protected]) is manager of government affairs at the US-China Business Council’s Washington, DC office. [/author]

(Photo by US Department of Agriculture via Flickr)

Tags: Bilateral Investment TreatyTradeUS ElectionsUS-China Relations
USCBC

USCBC

Next Post

Mexico Reneges on Bullet Train Collaboration

Recommended.

How Biden’s Economic Team Views China Trade Policy

January 14, 2021

Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

November 25, 2020

China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

October 7, 2020

Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

September 22, 2020

Latest Podcasts.

A look at China’s recent spate of bond defaults

January 22, 2021

A COVID update, a record trade surplus, and new PRCG personnel

January 19, 2021

New MOFCOM rules on extraterritorial application of foreign laws

January 12, 2021

The EU-China agreement and a look at other market liberalizations

January 6, 2021
China Business Review

China Business Review is the official magazine of the US-China Business Council, a nonprofit and nonpartisan trade association that represents more than 200 American companies doing business in China.

  • How to contribute to China Business Review

Categories

  • Bilateral Relations
  • Business Etiquette
  • CBR Spotlight
  • China Deals
  • Corruption
  • Cybersecurity
  • Ecommerce
  • Environment
  • Finance
  • Galleries
  • Getting Started
  • HR & Staffing
  • Infographics
  • Innovation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Management
  • Media
  • Operations
  • Opinion
  • Policy & Regulations
  • Politics
  • PR & Marketing
  • Rural Issues
  • Safety
  • Social Policy
  • Society
  • Standards + Licensing
  • Sustainability
  • Tax
  • Tech
  • Top Story
  • Trade
  • Uncategorized
  • US-China Business Council
  • Videos

Tags

Agreements Agriculture Alibaba Best Practices Business Environment China China's Investments Abroad China Market Intelligence Chinese Consumers Chinese Investment Commentary Consumer Trends E-Commerce Economic Trends Energy Environment Events Food Foreign Investment Going Global Healthcare Reform Human Resources Infrastructure Internet Interview Investment Investments into China IPO Joint Venture Labor Legal Analysis M&A Manufacturing Media National People's Congress Q&A Strategic and Economic Dialogue Supply Chains Technology Trade Transparency US-China Relations USCBC US Exports to China Xi Jinping

Join our Mailing List

Sign up for the US-China Business Council's newsletters to stay ahead of the game with roundups, analysis, and commentary.

Sign Up

Follow Us

  • About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review

No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Society
  • Media
  • Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review