U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai released the 2024 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report). The report highlights challenges such as opaque regulations in key markets like China and India, where agricultural trade faces hurdles due to non-science-based policies and slow approval processes for biotech products. The report also mentions issues with fulfilling commitments, as seen in China’s failure to implement promised reforms. Additionally, it underscores discrepancies in standards recognition,
“The NTE Report has received unprecedented attention this year because we are taking steps to return it to its stated statutory purpose. We respect that each government—including our own—has the sovereign right to govern in the public interest and to regulate for legitimate public policy reasons. Over the years, the NTE Report expanded from its statutory purpose to include measures without regard to whether they may be valid exercises of sovereign policy authority,” Ambassador Tai said in a press release. “By carefully editing and returning the NTE Report to the statute’s intent, USTR is making it a more useful document that enumerates significant trade barriers that could be addressed to expand market opportunities and help our economy grow.”
The NTE Report also highlights trade barriers related to American-built vehicles, particularly in the European Union. USTR emphasizes its commitment to use all available tools to help ensure that American producers have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.
Listen to the report below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West