President Trump Directs the Treasury Secretary to Propose New Restrictions on Chinese Investments in the United States
On March 22, 2018, President Trump issued a memorandum directing: i) the Secretary of the Treasury to propose restrictions regarding Chinese investment in “industries or technologies deemed important to the United States”; ii) the U.S. Trade Representative (or “USTR”) to propose products for inclusion in a new round of tariffs targeting China; and iii) the USTR to pursue dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address China’s “discriminatory licensing practices.” The President’s directives underscore the Administration’s skepticism of Chinese foreign direct investment in the broader context of the Administration’s findings on China’s alleged unfair trade practices concerning technology and intellectual property.