The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai, a veteran of U.S. trade negotiations, to serve as the next U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Wednesday, a role that will be crucial in determining the Biden administration’s stance towards China.
Tai’s confirmation makes her the first Asian American and woman of color to serve in the role. The 98-0 vote makes Tai the only member of President Biden’s cabinet so far to be confirmed unanimously.
The U.S. Trade Representative serves as the President’s chief advisor and negotiator on trade issues. Under the Trump administration, the role of USTR took on increased prominence due to the trade war with China and the replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Tai was most recently the chief trade counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, where she helped craft the terms of the USMCA. She previously served as the lead for the Committee’s Democratic staff on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), with primary responsibility for trade issues in the Asia-Pacific. Prior to working on the Hill, she also served as Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement at USTR, litigating U.S. trade disputes with China at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Tai, who is fluent in Mandarin, is uniquely qualified to lead the U.S.’s attempts to confront China’s economic dominance abroad, as Biden assesses ways to address the U.S.’s biggest competitor on trade issues—including rejoining the revised TPP agreement. She has called for overhauling global trade regulations to eliminate loopholes exploited by China and advocated for the use of tariffs and trade subsidies to decrease U.S. reliance on Chinese imports.
As one of only two Asian American officials in Biden's Cabinet, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, Tai’s identity is expected to influence public perceptions of the president’s policies regarding the Asian American community. Her elevation comes on the heels of the deadly shootings in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday that claimed the lives of 8 people, 6 of whom were Asian women.
Nationwide, nearly 3,800 hate incidents were perpetrated against AAPIs in the past year, according to a report released Tuesday by Stop AAPI Hate. Tai’s work will be crucial in ensuring that the U.S.’s aggressive trade stance against China abroad does not translate into Asian American discrimination at home.
This story is developing and will be updated.
