U.S. Trade Negotiations: Is the Phased Approach Here to Stay?

Under the Trump Administration, the United States has concluded partial, or phased, trade agreements with Japan and China and is currently negotiating limited deals with India, the European Union and the United Kingdom, along with a comprehensive deal with Kenya. The phased approach departs from the typical practice of pursuing deals that cover “substantially all trade” between the parties, in line with WTO commitments, which view partial deals as a step on the way to a comprehensive deal, not as an end state. Clete Willems (a former White House adviser on the Japan and China deals) and Wendy Cutler (who was responsible for the comprehensive Trans Pacific Partnership negotiation, from which the U.S. withdrew in 2017) discuss what we have learned from this approach and whether it’s here to stay, in light of trade negotiations now underway. Featuring: Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director D.C. Office, Asia Society Policy Institute Clete Willems, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Moderator: Ken Levinson, Executive Director, Washington International Trade Association This webinar is part of a six-session series on “International Trade: Measuring and Managing Risk and Uncertainty,” hosted by the Yeutter Institute with support from the CME Group Foundation.