Robert Lighthizer

The United States is the largest steel importer in the world, buying $23.9 billion worth of raw steel in 2019.

The Trump administration notified Congress that it will begin bilateral trade agreement talks with the East African country.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the trade dispute settlement body has overstepped its function and makes “erroneous interpretations” of World Trade Organization agreements.

The East African country is “an important strategic partner of the United States, and there is enormous potential for us to deepen our economic and commercial ties,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.

President Trump tells the nation he kept his campaign promise to renegotiate the 26-year-old trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

President Trump said he plans to travel to Beijing sometime this year to start the next round of trade negotiations with China.

The Senate is not expected to vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement until early 2020.

Americans for Free Trade spokesman Jonathan Gold said the White House needs to “finalize a deal with China to end the trade war and remove all tariffs.”

Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, calls USMCA “a triumph for workers across America.”

An Office of the U.S. Trade Representative investigation concludes that a French tax on digital services discriminates against U.S. companies, such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

Last-minute meeting in Washington likely will hash out changes to make NAFTA’s successor palatable to congressional Democrats.

The agreement, which takes effect Jan. 1, will guarantee the import of 132,304 metric tons of U.S.-grown rice, valued at $110 million.

U.S. poultry producers eye more than $1 billion market potential for China after being shut out for five years.

“Finally, a ray of hope for the U.S.-China trade relationship,” said Myron Brilliant, U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s head of international affairs.

Pressure applied as some Democrats remain concerned about labor provisions.

The action directed by USTR follows discovery of harvested timber in the company’s supply chain.

The signing of mutual recognition agreements between the U.K and the U.S. should smooth the movement of pharmaceuticals and electronics, but the bigger prize will be a free trade deal and that will be far more complex to secure.

But President Trump still hopeful a deal can be done; tariffs costing both sides billions, and truckers plan one-day labor action for April.