Wyden and Levin Press EU Trade Commissioner and USTR to Improve Engagement and Joint Enforcement Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today sent a letter to European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, urging them to cooperate more closely on the issue of China's market economy status, and more closely engage technical expertise and enforcement efforts between the European Commission trade office and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Ranking Members also urged closer cooperation to address concerns about some of the decisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body.

“We write to urge deeper cooperation on our shared enforcement objectives, including the unique challenges posed by continued market distorting behavior in China,” Ranking Members Wyden and Levin wrote. “The United States and Europe have collaborated in the WTO and other multilateral fora on trade enforcement in the past, including with respect to Chinese export restrictions on raw materials and rare earth elements. However, in other instances this cooperation has fallen short of what is needed to ensure the best outcome for workers and businesses in both Europe and the United States…In our view, the expiration of subparagraph 15(a)(ii) of China’s WTO Accession Protocol does not require WTO Members to grant China market economy status…Going forward, we believe that it is critical that the United States and Europe work much more closely on enforcement matters.”

To read the full letter, click here.

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