The National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) covers 61 countries, the European Union, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Arab League, with a note that just because countries are not included in the report, it does not mean they not of concern to the U.S. Not surprisingly, China occupies 35 pages in the 574-page report, with several notations on the Phase One agreement between the U.S. and China.
“The Phase One Agreement also includes a commitment by China to make substantial additional purchases of U.S. goods and services in calendar years 2020 and 2021,” the report noted. “Importantly, the Phase One Agreement establishes a strong dispute resolution system that ensures prompt and effective implementation and enforcement. Since the entry into force of the Phase One Agreement in February 2020, the United States continues to engage China as issues arise and will continue to monitor developments closely.”
The report noted several areas relative to agriculture where progress has been made, but still concluded, China remains a difficult and unpredictable market for U.S. agricultural exporters, largely because of inconsistent enforcement of regulations and selective intervention in the market by China's regulatory authorities.
The failure of China's regulators to routinely follow science-based, international standards, and guidelines further complicates and impedes agricultural trade.”
The report also focuses on China's overcapacity in several areas, their intellectual property rights actions, technology transfers and more.