A U.S. official says the Biden administration is opening an investigation into labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua.

As the U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai is legally required to avoid discussing this year’s presidential election.

President Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree on essentially nothing, from taxes and climate change to immigration and regulation.

The Biden administration is suggesting the possibility that new penalties could be put in place if the Chinese makers of electric vehicles try to move their production to Mexico to avoid newly announced import taxes.

Japan announced Tuesday a decision to reinstate South Korea as a preferred nation with fast-track trade status from July 21, virtually ending a four-year economic row that was strained during their bitter historic disputes.

The United States has reached a modest trade agreement with Taiwan.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has struck a conciliatory tone while talking about strained U_S_-China relations, saying the nations “need to find a way to live together.”.

U_S_ Trade Representative Katherine Tai says Washington is not seeking to decouple the American economy from China's and that U_S_ trade sanctions against Beijing are “narrowly targeted.”.

The Biden administration is pressing its case for a new approach to global trade.

Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on trade in critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries.

The United States and European Union have agreed to intensify talks to resolve EU concerns over major subsidies for American companies contained in a U.S. clean energy law.

Mexico's economy secretary has proposed yet another round of talks with the United States on a dispute over Mexico's energy sector.

The European Union trade chief says a new U.S. tax credit aimed at encouraging Americans to buy electric vehicles could eventually backfire and limit choices for American consumers.

The United States is putting pressure on Mexico over energy policies that Washington says unfairly favor Mexico's state-owned electricity and oil companies over American competitors and clean-energy suppliers.

The Chinese government says its envoy to trade war talks with Washington has expressed concern about U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports during a phone call with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

President Joe Biden says he plans to talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping soon as he considers whether to lift some Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods.

Stocks ended another bumpy week with more losses Friday as investors considered the downside of the still-strong U.S. jobs market.

China’s government has accused Washington of jeopardizing peace after U.S. envoys began trade talks with Taiwan aimed at deepening relations with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing.

The United States and four other nations emphasized their support for host nation Thailand after they walked out of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group meeting in Bangkok.

The top U.S. trade negotiator says with world economies all suffering from more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic and global supply problems exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has an “incredible opportunity” to engage with other nations and forge new partnerships and agreements.

China has rejected a U.S. accusation that Beijing is failing to live up to its market-opening commitments in a new round of complaints as companies wait for the two governments to restart talks on ending a tariff war.

The United States has accused China of failing to meet its commitments to the World Trade Organization.

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office has filed the first environmental complaint against Mexico for failing to protect the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise.

U.S. government officials say they have reached an agreement to essentially lift the 25% tariff that former President Donald Trump imposed on imported Japanese steel.

The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to begin talks on removing former President Donald Trump’s import taxes on British steel and aluminum.

U.S. Trade Representative Katharine Tai and Japan's trade minister have agreed to work to resolve a dispute over American tariffs on steel and aluminum.

China’s exports remained strong in October, a positive sign for an economy trying to weather power shortages and COVID-19 outbreaks.

President Joe Biden is praising a new U.S. and European Union agreement that would crack down on “dirty steel” that leads to carbon emissions.

The U.S. and European Union have reached an agreement to settle their diplomatic rift over Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs.

In a relationship as fraught as America’s and China’s, just an agreement that talks were productive was a sign of progress.

Asian shares have slipped in cautious trading despite a rally on Wall Street led by technology companies and banks that erased most of the losses from a sell-off the day before.

President Joe Biden is dispatching White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan for talks with a senior Chinese foreign policy adviser.

The U.S. trade deficit increased to a record $73.3 billion in August as a small gain in exports was swamped by a much larger increase in imports.

Shares have fallen in Asia after a broad slide on Wall Street led by technology companies.

The United States and European Union have agreed to carry on the the work of 10 expert panels to explore and recommend solutions to a variety of trade disputes and challenges.

The United States and Mexico have restarted high-level economic talks after a four-year pause.

President Joe Biden is facing a formidable to-do list now that he’s back from his eight-day trip to Europe.

Scotch whisky makers are breathing a sigh of relief after the United States agreed to suspend tariffs on one of Scotland’s main exports.

Fresh from supportive summits with allies, Joe Biden is declaring himself ready to take on Russia’s Vladimir Putin in far more confrontational talks.

China’s chief economic envoy and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have held their first meeting by video but the two sides gave no indication when negotiations on ending their tariff war might resume.

U.S. and Chinese trade envoys have talked by phone for the first time since President Joe Biden took office, but the two sides gave no sign when negotiations on ending their tariff war might restart.

European Union and U.S. top trade officials used a virtual meeting to cement recent advances in settling some key differences that have soured trans-Atlantic relations over the past years.

The United States has filed its first labor complaint involving Mexico under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, after an old-guard union was caught destroying ballots at a General Motors plant in northern Mexico.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears to be downplaying any prospect of an imminent trade deal with a post-Brexit Britain.

The Biden administration is joining calls for more sharing of the technology behind COVID-19 vaccines to help speed the end of the pandemic.

Two White House officials say the U.S. trade representative will begin talks in the World Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping poorer countries from making their own generic version of critically needed COVID-19 vaccines.

President Joe Biden's first Cabinet meeting looked and felt different from those held by his predecessor.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – Joe Biden will convene his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, a presidential rite of passage that will be used to promote his new infrastructure plan. Ad“The meetings can help align priorities, build morale, and allow Cabinet members to develop relationships with colleagues who they don’t normally see,” Lu said. The White House has highlighted that this Cabinet is the most diverse in history. In normal times, scheduling an in-person Cabinet meeting would require weeks, if not months, of planning to block off time in the travel schedules of the various principals. The Cabinet members will soon begin to fan out across the country to pitch both the COVID-19 relief and infrastructure plans, officials said.

Security forces stand by on Hledan road in Kamayut township of Yangon in Myanmar, Monday, March 29, 2021. Over 100 people across the country were killed by security forces on Saturday alone, including several children. “The United States strongly condemns the Burmese security forces’ brutal violence against civilians. AdTai's office said the United States was immediately suspending “all U.S. engagement with Burma under the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.'' AdTwo-way trade between the two countries doesn't amount to much: Myanmar last year was the United States' 84th biggest partner in the trade of goods such as automobiles and machinery.

The only senators of Asian American heritage, they said they would withhold their support for his nominees until the diversity issue was addressed. AdDuckworth had said earlier that she raised the issue with top Biden advisers on Tuesday and afterward called the situation “not acceptable." “I’ve been talking to them for months and they’re still not aggressive, so I’m not going to be voting for any nominee from the White House other than diversity nominees,” Duckworth told reporters. But Hirono later said in a statement of her own that she too welcomed the appointment of an AAPI White House liaison and was dropping her objections. Tai, who was confirmed last week, is the first Asian American and first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative.

It's also spurring her and other Asian Americans to push for greater political influence in Washington and other power centers. President Joe Biden and his aides have been repeatedly pressed to include Asian Americans in his Cabinet. Ad“I think symbolism and representation matters, but only up to a point,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “Those things all contribute to lower rates of political participation among Asian Americans, but people — mistakenly, I think — assume that Asian Americans are somehow less interested in U.S. civic life.”AdThat's evolving. “Asian Americans didn't necessarily grow up with that vocabulary of advocacy and how to fight for ourselves," Meng said.

A leading spirits advocate is imploring top U.S. trade envoy Katherine Tai to not leave whiskey producers behind. Amir Peay, owner of the Lexington, Kentucky-based James E. Pepper Distillery, said American whiskey has become “collateral damage” in the trade disputes. But the breakthroughs left plenty unresolved, including disputes that led to the retaliatory tariffs still hitting American whiskey. AdThe suspended tariffs mean some European spirits producers can ship their products into the U.S. duty free, while American whiskey makers are still subject to tariffs, Whiting said. “We just want a level playing field for American whiskey,” he said.

Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative, speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai as the top U.S. trade envoy in an overwhelming bipartisan vote on Wednesday . AdFluent in Mandarin, Tai served several years as head of China enforcement at the trade representative’s office. Biden and his team appear to be in no hurry to reverse Trump’s China tariffs. Far from coordinating with U.S. allies on trade, Trump sparred with them instead, putting tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatening to target European cars, too.

Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative, testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy promised to work with America’s allies to combat China’s aggressive trade policies, indicating a break from the Trump administration’s go-it-alone approach. Biden and his team have not indicated — and Tai didn't say Thursday — whether they will keep Trump’s tariffs. Far from coordinating with U.S. allies on trade, Trump sparred with them instead, putting tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatening to target European cars, too. She handled negotiations with the Trump administration over a revamped North American trade deal.

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2020, file photo Katherine Tai, the Biden administration's choice totake overas the U.S. trade representative, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. President Joe Bidens pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy is promising to work with Americas allies to combat Chinas aggressive trade policies. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden's pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy is promising to work with America's allies to combat China's aggressive trade policies, indicating a break from the Trump administration's go-it-alone approach. Fluent in Mandarin, Tai served several years as head of China enforcement at the trade representative's office. Far from working with allies on trade, Trump sparred with them instead, putting tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatening to target European cars, too.

A White House statement said Biden raised concerns about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair economic practices." Biden also pressed Xi on Hong Kong, human rights abuses against Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province, and its actions toward Taiwan. Both are expected to play key roles in helping shape China trade policy. Biden played host to then-Chinese vice president Xi during his 2012 visit to the United States. On Thursday, China’s state broadcaster said Xi told Biden: “You’ve said America’s greatest feature is possibility.

Susan Rice, the Biden administration's choice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. His choice for agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, served in the same post for Obama for eight years. Above all, they know how government should and can work for all Americans.”Relying too heavily on Obama administration veterans has already begun to draw some grumbling from members of Biden's own party, however. Mark Riddle, a Democratic strategist who founded a pro-Biden Super PAC during the 2020 presidential campaign, said there is no danger in relying too heavily on “all star” former Obama administration leaders. “If we come out of the box on jobs, jobs, jobs, I feel great.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is set to nominate Katherine Tai to be the top U.S. trade envoy, according to two people familiar with his plans. Biden's selection of Tai, who is Asian American, reflects his promise to choose a diverse Cabinet that reflects the makeup of the country. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Tai earlier oversaw China trade enforcement for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, setting U.S. strategy in trade disputes with China. Biden’s trade representative will inherit a trade war with China, put on pause by an interim trade pact in January that left many of the hardest issues unresolved and U.S. taxes remaining on $360 billion in Chinese imports. As the top trade staffer at Ways and Means, Tai handled negotiations last year with the Trump administration over a revamped North American trade deal.