January 5 | Talks to amend a five-year-old trade deal with South Korea take place in Washington. The U.S. wants Korea to provide more access for American cars and farm goods. |
Mid-January | U.S. Commerce must recommend whether to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on national security grounds—aimed at China. Trump then has up to 90 days to take action. |
January 23-28 | Montreal hosts talks to revamp the Nafta pact between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This sixth round is critical for a breakthrough so that efforts to rework the trade deal don’t soon collapse. |
January 26 | Trump is due to decide whether to take action on cheap solar panel imports to protect the U.S. manufacturing sector. The U.S. International Trade Commission has found that cheap foreign-made solar products are hurting domestic producers. |
End-January | The Trump administration could announce action on China’s intellectual property practices before his month-end State of the Union speech, according to industry publication Inside Trade. This could be delayed—an investigation into China’s alleged IP theft and forced technology transfers isn’t due until later this year. |
Late-January | The U.S. ITC is expected to give a final ruling on whether American industry has been hurt by Bombardier’s sales of passenger jets, as Boeing alleges. If the ITC sides with Boeing, duties on Bombardier C Series jets would become permanent. |
Early February | Trump is expected to make a decision on whether to impose tariffs on imported washing machines. The U.S. ITC has recommended imposing graduated tariffs over three years on a quota-basis. |
This Could Be the Month of Reckoning for Trump’s Trade Agenda
By: Sarah McGregor and Andrew Mayeda | Jan 04 2018 at 12:00 AM | International Trade