While UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined the opportunity to throw the opening pitch at a Washington Nationals Game, he did lob a couple softballs for the White House to bunt, generating assurances of continued support for Ukraine, and an agreement for him to host a summit on artificial intelligence. The meetings produced no post-Brexit trade agreement, though the parties did roll out a grandly titled "declaration," providing a framework for continued dialogue.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced that there has been a notable alignment between US and European Union (EU) officials on an array of economic issues. This announcement came after the fourth meeting of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).

In their Joint Statment, members of the US - EU Trade and Technology Council expressed support for the ongoing sanctions activities, export and investment controls:

The strategic objectives that guide the U.S. economic approach towards China are securing U.S. and allied national security interests, promoting respect for human rights, fostering bilateral economic growth through healthy competition, and cooperating on pressing global issues, testified Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Elizabeth Rosenberg to a Senate Panel Wednesday.  

The two-day meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ministers responsible for trade concluded in Detroit this afternoon without agreement on a joint statement. Support was unanimous among the 21 APEC ministers on the bulk of the language contained in the statement, but China and Russia refused to sign on to a paragraph condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The United States is once again using the rapid response labor mechanism under the US-Mexico- Canada Agreement to protect workers' rights at a Mexican facility. Washington is asking Mexico to review whether workers at a Goodyear SLP facility in the state of San Luis Potosi are being denied the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) voted in favor of policy proposals designed to combat the ongoing Uyghur genocide and enhance Taiwan's deterrence. The Wednesday adoption of these policy proposals comes on the heels of a March hearing featuring a survivor and witness to the ongoing Uyghur genocide by the CCP. The committee also held an April wargame highlighting the severe consequences of a deterrence failure in the Indo-Pacific.

The Subcommittee on Trade of the House Ways and Means Committee met Thursday to begin the “first review of customs operations and regulation in 30 years,” though mostly to address the ongoing debate surrounding de minimis, the “Amazon Loophole” where low value imports receive duty free treatment.

The time has come to “take off the golden blindfolds and open our eyes to the risks in China,” the head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party declared at an evening hearing May 17. Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc) said that while a total economic decoupling from China is not possible, his panel will come up with policy recommendations for a “strategic derisking.”

In a flurry of activity by the recently established Disruptive Technology Strike Force, the Justice Department has publicized the indictment of individuals in five distinct cases, originating from five separate U.S. Attorney's offices. This marks the first enforcement actions taken by the Strike Force since its inception.

The United States, backed by the G7 and other international allies, is ramping up worldwide sanctions and restrictive economic measures to further hinder Russia's warfighting capabilities. Commerce, Treasury and the State Department issued separate and joint actions and rules reaching from icebreakers to rubber, with a primary focus on Russia's extractive and weaponry industries.

The Administration, Congress and the US business community remain sharply focused on China, as Beijing takes the first tentative steps towards reopening dialogue with Washington.

The saga of export enforcement actions against Iran’s first private airline continues with the May 5 renewal of the temporary denial order (TDO) against Mahan Airways and associated persons first issued in March 2008.     As the Russian commercial fleet seeks maintenance and repair resources for its western fleet, Mahan's expertise in dodging sanctions is highly sought.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has proposed a series of changes to its antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) regulations in a bid to strengthen enforcement of trade remedy laws. …

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP), a groundbreaking program that could significantly boost support for the region in its fight against climate change. ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa revealed the initiative at ADB's 56th Annual Meeting in Incheon, South Korea.

The former Chair of Harvard University's Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, was sentenced in federal court in Boston today for lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with China's Thousand Talents Program and Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), as well as failing to report income he received from WUT.

Senate Democrats, led by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), announced on Wednesday their plans to draft a comprehensive bipartisan legislative package aimed at helping the United States better compete with China. The package is expected to build upon the CHIPS and Science Act's domestic manufacturing investment and integrate various China competitiveness provisions from the Senate-passed CHIPS legislation.

The Commerce Department reported that the US trade deficit shrank to $64.2 billion in March, down $6.4 billion from $70.6 billion in February. March's figures saw exports climb to $256.2 billion, a …

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) continues her crusade to highlight the ability of major technology corporations  to unduly influence ongoing negotiations on digital trade under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. May 2 the senator released an investigative report prepared by her staff charging that “BigTech” is using “revolving door hires to gain backdoor access to key US Trade Representative and Commerce Department officials to prevent new regulations that could curb monopolies.

Chinese "fast fashion" platforms like Shein and Temu are expanding rapidly in the United States, raising concerns about exploitation of trade loopholes, sourcing relationships, product safety, and forced labor. A report released by the US China Economic Security Review Commission details the concerns, highlighting the merchants’ rapid growth, policy concerns, and reccomendations.