At President Trump’s direction, on August 14, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) initiated an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 against China’s laws, policies, or actions that could threaten U.S. intellectual property and technology development.

USTR Robert Lighthizer commenced the preliminary stages of the investigation and will convene a public hearing on October 10 at the U.S. International Trade Commission. The results of the investigation could lead to additional tariffs or restrictions on imports from China.

This is the third investigation the administration has initiated concerning foreign imports and trade practices. The U.S. Department of Commerce is currently conducting two investigations on whether U.S. imports of aluminum and steel products threaten national security.

The President’s August 14 memorandum unveiled the following four types of conduct USTR will consider during the investigation:

  • Whether the Chinese government uses a variety of tools to regulate or intervene in U.S. companies’ operations in China to transfer U.S. technologies and intellectual property to Chinese companies;
  • Whether the Chinese government’s policies and practices deter U.S. companies from issuing market-based terms in licensing and technology-related negotiations with Chinese companies; and
  • Whether the Chinese government obtains high-technology products and intellectual property by investing in or acquiring U.S. companies pertinent to Chinese government industrial plans;
  • Whether the Chinese government is breaching U.S. commercial computer networks to access and/or steal intellectual property, trade secrets, or business proprietary information.

USTR will determine whether the aforementioned four types of conduct are actionable under Section 301 of the Trade Act.  Pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974, USTR must determine within 12 months from the beginning of the initiation whether any act, policy, or practice described in Section 301 exists.

In general, the retaliatory action proposed by USTR must be implemented within 30 days of the determination. USTR may delay the implementation up to 180 days if it determines that substantial progress is being made regarding removing the trade barrier. If the determination is affirmative, then USTR will decide what action, if any, to take.

Though certain company executives and politicians support the investigation as a way to help U.S. businesses access the Chinese market without conceding their intellectual property to the Chinese government, others are more reluctant to voice their opinions due to their fear of drawing retaliation from China.

The investigation comes shortly after the Chinese government unveiled a new cybersecurity law to “protect personal information and individual privacy” in late May of 2017. The law requires foreign companies operating in China to reveal intellectual property to the PRC and forces these companies to store their data to local servers. U.S. companies are now instructed to participate in a joint venture with Chinese enterprises, therefore sharing valuable technology information with their Chinese counterparts.

There has only been one recent USTR Section 301 investigation in the past two decades. In 2010, USTR initiated a Section 301 investigation of Chinese policies and subsidies supporting its wind and solar industries. Because the issues covered involved U.S. rights under the World Trade Organization, USTR requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with the government of China. Less than a year after the initiation of the investigation, China removed the challenged acts. Thus, it is possible that this current Section 301 investigation could follow a similar timeline, whether or not WTO rights are implicated.

For more information, contact: Robert Holleyman, Dan Cannistra, Ben Caryl, Cherie Walterman

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Photo of Daniel Cannistra Daniel Cannistra

Dan Cannistra is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on legislative, executive and regulatory representation of domestic and international clients on a broad spectrum of international trade matters. Dan has represented domestic and foreign companies in over 75

Dan Cannistra is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on legislative, executive and regulatory representation of domestic and international clients on a broad spectrum of international trade matters. Dan has represented domestic and foreign companies in over 75 U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty cases before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission under the Tariff Act of 1930. Many of these matters involved appeals to the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, binational panels under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and dispute settlement proceedings before the World Trade Organization (WTO). Dan has also represented clients in antidumping proceedings in the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, India, Thailand, Singapore, Guatemala and Taiwan.

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Dan was a director in a national accounting firm providing customs and international trade guidance to multinational clients related to the supply and distribution of goods and services across international borders. Areas of specialization included antidumping and countervailing duties and policy, trade remedies and litigation, free trade agreements and negotiations, classification and valuation, and international trade and development.

Dan’s government appointments include service to U.S. Trade Representative on the roster of international trade practitioners to resolve antidumping disputes involving NAFTA members. For the European Commission, Dan provided advice and training on international trade and antidumping methodology and practice. In addition, Dan has served as an international trade consultant to the governments of Guatemala and Singapore, providing technical advice to these governments on the application of international trade regulations consistent with international law and World Trade Organization agreements and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Agreement on Antidumping.