<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Politico PRO</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u></div><div style="margin: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: black;" class="">RAIMONDO SAYS IPEF WILL ENCOURAGE COMPANIES TO LEAVE CHINA: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">“The biggest benefit to the countries that sign up for our standards in IPEF [will be] U.S. companies going from China to [countries like] Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines,” Raimondo told former State Department official Keith Krach <a href="https://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1faacd5cf40e97747288271440c5ce3b27f56811f60c5a10b92636dcbd7ce8587a904acd44f6524d78ff3654d61beb62209c13a3cb4284a" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://go.politicoemail.com/?qs%3Dc1faacd5cf40e97747288271440c5ce3b27f56811f60c5a10b92636dcbd7ce8587a904acd44f6524d78ff3654d61beb62209c13a3cb4284a&source=gmail&ust=1664628616501000&usg=AOvVaw1xT21AerDZel_YELxsg8yu" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class="">at an Atlantic Council event</a>.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">Being in IPEF will be like “a stamp of approval” from the United States because corporate executives will know the countries have agreed to abide by higher standards in areas like labor, the environment, data privacy, rule of law, transparency, supply chains, anti-corruption measures and taxation, she said.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: black;" class="">Changing global landscape: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">While China remains one of America’s most critical trade partners, major events like Covid-19 and the Russian war in Ukraine have spurred companies to consider their options, the Commerce chief noted.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">“You hear a lot of manufacturers in China who have been there 10, 20, 30 years, and it would be just very disruptive for them to leave. But they are looking at it. They’re putting plans in place,” Raimondo said.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: black;" class="">NEW TRADE DIALOGUE WITH PACIFIC ISLANDS COMING: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">The dialogue announced Thursday will aim to increase trade flows and address market access needs between the U.S. and the Pacific Islands over the next year.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">USTR will also “explore ways to maximize” the countries’ use of the General System of Preferences, a currently expired trade program that offers tariff relief to developing economies.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">Deputy USTR Sarah Bianchi met with regional leaders as part of the first-ever U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit, a White House effort to court Pacific nations that could serve as key allies in securing maritime trade and military routes. China has also sought their allegiance.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class="">The impending dialogue also means the administration is now at least talking trade with a broad swath of countries in the region. USTR previously announced trade and investment talks with Taiwan, and is set to begin negotiating the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 18pt;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: black;" class="">ITC study:</span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black;" class=""> As part of the effort, USTR has directed the U.S. International Trade Commission to conduct a detailed analysis of Pacific Island trade with the United States to identify impediments to increased trade flows, the trade agency said</span></p><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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