U.S. Launches China Trade Probe, a Sign of “Living in the Past”

Posted: August 17th, 2017

By Richard Boucher

Ambassador Richard Boucher served 32 years at the U.S. Department of State, including roles as Ambassador to Cyprus, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, and Spokesman for six different Secretaries of State. After retiring from the State Department, Boucher spent almost four years as Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Boucher currently teaches at Brown University, focusing on the intersection between diplomacy and economics.

U.S. President Donald Trump this week decided to launch an investigation into Chinese practices on intellectual property. The move angered Beijing, which said the trade probe would violate international rules. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has for the past few decades been the supreme arbiter of trade disputes between countries, as opposed to what’s called “Section 301.”

Trump signed an executive memorandum on Tuesday which would allow U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to initiate a unilateral Section 301 investigation, if an initial probe finds China is engaging in unfair trade practices – a claim Beijing denies.

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