Notice2021-17606
Request for Written Comments Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 17, 2021
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites written comments to assist the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to Congress on China's compliance with the commitments made in connection with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Due to COVID- 19, the TPSC will foster public participation via written questions and responses relating to the comments received by the TPSC rather than an in-person hearing. This notice includes the schedule for submission of comments, questions and responses.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 156 (Tuesday, August 17, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46066-46067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17606]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2021-0015]
Request for Written Comments Concerning China's Compliance With
WTO Commitments
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of request for written comments.
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SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites
written comments to assist the Office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to
Congress on China's compliance with the commitments made in connection
with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Due to COVID-
19, the TPSC will foster public participation via written questions and
responses relating to the comments received by the TPSC rather than an
in-person hearing. This notice includes the schedule for submission of
comments, questions and responses.
DATES:
September 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of
written comments.
September 29, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for the TPSC to pose
written questions on written comments.
October 13, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of
commenters' responses to written questions from the TPSC.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> (REGS.GOV).
The instructions for submitting written submissions are in sections III
and IV below. The docket number is USTR-2021-0015. For alternatives to
online submissions, contact Spencer Smith at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f1c3f2a212c2a3d6103611c22263b277d0f3a3c3b3d612a203f61282039"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="96c5e6f3f8f5f3e4b8dab8c5fbffe2fea4d6e3e5e2e4b8f3f9e6b8f1f9e0">[email protected]</span></a> or (202) 395-2974 before transmitting a
submission and in advance of the relevant deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written submissions, contact Spencer Smith at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#326142575c5157401c7e1c615f5b465a0072474146401c575d421c555d44"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f8ab889d969b9d8ad6b4d6ab95918c90cab88d8b8c8ad69d9788d69f978e">[email protected]</span></a> or (202) 395-2974. Direct all other
questions to Tsering Dhongthog, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade
Representative for China Affairs, at (202) 395-3900, or Arthur N. Tsao,
Chief Counsel for China Enforcement, at (202) 395-3150.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
China became a Member of the WTO on December 11, 2001. In
accordance with section 421 of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000
(Pub. L. 106-286), USTR is required to submit, on or about December 11
of each year, a report to Congress on China's compliance with
commitments made in connection with its accession to the WTO, including
both multilateral commitments and any bilateral commitments made to the
United States. In accordance with section 421, and to assist it in
preparing this year's report, the TPSC is soliciting public comments.
You can find last year's report on USTR's website at <a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/reports/2020/2020USTRReportCongressChinaWTOCompliance.pdf">https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/reports/2020/2020USTRReportCongressChinaWTOCompliance.pdf</a>.
The terms of China's accession to the WTO are contained in the
Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (including
its annexes) (Protocol), the Report of the Working Party on the
Accession of China (Working Party Report), and the WTO agreements. You
can find the Protocol and Working Party Report on the WTO website at
<a href="http://docsonline.wto.org">http://docsonline.wto.org</a> (document symbols: WT/L/432, WT/MIN(01)/3,
WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.1, WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.2).
II. Topics on Which the TPSC Seeks Information
The TPSC invites written comments on China's compliance with
commitments made in connection with its accession to the WTO,
including, but not limited to, commitments in the following areas:
A. Trading rights.
B. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas,
import licenses).
C. Export regulation.
D. Internal policies affecting trade (e.g., subsidies, standards
and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures,
government procurement, trade-related investment measures, taxes and
charges levied on imports and exports).
E. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property
rights enforcement).
F. Services.
G. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, uniform
administration of laws and regulations) and status of legal reform.
H. Other WTO commitments.
In addition, given the United States' view that China should be
held accountable as a full participant in, and beneficiary of, the
international trading system, USTR requests that commenters
specifically identify unresolved compliance issues that warrant review
and evaluation by USTR's China Enforcement Task Force.
III. Public Participation
Due to COVID-19, the TPSC will foster public participation via
written submissions rather than an in-person hearing on China's
compliance with the commitments made in connection with its accession
to the WTO. In accordance with the schedule set out in the Dates
section above, USTR invites written comments from the public. The TPSC
will review the written comments and may pose written clarifying
questions to the commenters. The TPSC will post the written questions
on the public docket, other than questions that include properly
designated business confidential information (BCI). USTR will send
questions that include properly designated BCI to the relevant
commenters by email and will not post these questions on the public
docket. Written responses to questions that contain BCI must follow the
procedures in section IV below.
IV. Requirements for Submissions
In order to be assured of consideration, we must receive your
written comments in English by 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 15, 2021.
USTR strongly encourages commenters to make online submissions, using
REGS.GOV. On the first page, please identify the submission as `China's
WTO Compliance.'
To submit comments via <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, enter docket number
USTR-2021-0015 on the home page and click `search.' The site will
provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with
this docket. Find a reference to this notice and click on the link
entitled `comment now'. For further information on using REGS.GOV,
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on
`How to Use <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>' on the
[[Page 46067]]
bottom of the home page. USTR will not accept hand-delivered
submissions.
REGS.GOV allows users to submit comments by filling in a `type
comment' field or by attaching a document using the `upload file'
field. USTR prefers that you submit comments in an attached document.
If you attach a document, it is sufficient to type `see attached' in
the `type comment' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the `type
comment' field.
Filers submitting comments that do not include BCI should name
their file using the name of the person or entity submitting the
comments. For any comments submitted electronically containing BCI, the
file name of the business confidential version should begin with the
characters `BCI. Any page containing business confidential information
must be clearly marked `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' on the top of that page.
Filers of submissions containing BCI also must submit a public version
of their comments that we will place in the docket for public
inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the
character `P. The `BCI' and `P' should be followed by the name of the
person or entity submitting the comments.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges that you file submissions through
REGS.GOV. You must make any alternative arrangements with Spencer Smith
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdeecdd8d3ded8cf93f193eed0d4c9d58ffdc8cec9cf93d8d2cd93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="80d3f0e5eee3e5f2aeccaed3ede9f4e8b2c0f5f3f4f2aee5eff0aee7eff6">[email protected]</span></a> or (202) 395-2974 before transmitting
a submission and in advance of the relevant deadline.
USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public
inspection, except BCI. You can view written submissions on REGS.GOV by
entering docket number USTR-2021-0015 in the search field on the home
page. General information concerning USTR is available at <a href="http://www.ustr.gov">www.ustr.gov</a>.
Edward Gresser,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2021-17606 Filed 8-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F1-P
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