If Biden wins, he will face tough trade challenges, particularly with China, in areas such as the country's formidable market access barriers and technology-related national security concerns. But his approach to those issues is expected to be less erratic than Trump's. "To me, an equally tough but more predictable policy creates an opportunity for constructive engagement in other areas of mutual interest, such as climate," Smart said. Still, a Biden victory won't return the world to the way it was in 2016. Having experienced four years of Trump, allies will be wary of depending heavily on the word of the U.S., knowing the next presidential election could turn everything on its head. And Biden also would face pressure at home not to appear weak on China or to allow "multilateralism" to trump (no pun intended) U.S. national interests. USTR FACES 30-DAY DEADLINE ON ESSENTIAL MEDICINES: USTR has until Nov. 28 to modify any existing trade agreement that would bar federal agencies from only buying domestic supplies of a list of essential medicines and medical devices released by the FDA on Friday. Trump ordered the USTR to take the action, "to the extent permitted by law," in an executive order he signed on Aug. 6. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has warned the order "could disrupt the global pharmaceutical supply chain" and jeopardize the private sector's ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by creating shortages. FDA's new list includes 223 drugs and biologics — including the active ingredients in Tylenol and Advil; pain drugs like morphine, rabies and tetanus vaccines; and multiple antibiotics to treat infections. Medical devices are also on the list, including 96 considered to be medical countermeasures, such as instruments for monitoring vital signs and vaccine delivery devices. U.S. imports of pharmaceutical products totaled $149 billion in 2019, which was second only to imports of passenger cars. The U.S. trade deficit in pharmaceutical goods last year was close to $89 billion, more than the deficits for crude oil or cell phones. US SUSPENDS ONE-SIXTH OF THAI TRADE FROM GSP PROGRAM: USTR on Friday suspended more than $800 million in trade from Thailand from the Generalized System of Preferences program, which exempts certain partners from tariffs, saying Bangkok has slow-walked market access for U.S. pork. "Despite 12 years of bilateral engagement, Thailand has yet to provide the United States with equitable and reasonable market access for pork products," USTR said in a statement Friday. Broad product list affected: The $817 million worth of trade represents about one-sixth of Thailand's exports to the U.S. under GSP. The list of exports that will be removed from the program after Dec. 30 includes plants and food products as well as industrial and consumer goods. The suspension comes after an investigation requested by the National Pork Producers Council in 2018. The trade group praised the USTR decision. "For years, Thailand has taken full advantage of special U.S. trade benefits, while imposing a completely unjustified de facto ban on U.S. pork. This is hardly a reciprocal trading relationship," said NPPC President Howard "AV" Roth. "We thank the administration for taking this action and hope it results in fair access to the Thai market for U.S. hog farmers." Other GSP actions: USTR also closed GSP eligibility reviews for Georgia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, as well as a GSP designation review of Laos. It also opened two new GSP reviews for Eritrea and Zimbabwe based on worker rights concerns. "The concerns in Eritrea relate to forced labor associated with Eritrea's national service requirement as well as a lack of freedom of association," USTR said. "Labor rights concerns in Zimbabwe relate to a lack of freedom of association, including the rights of independent trade unions to organize and bargain collectively, and government crackdown on labor activists." WYDEN BLASTS TRUMP'S USMCA ENFORCEMENT: The top Senate Finance Democrat on Friday accused Trump of failing to enforce key provisions of his new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Morning Trade's Doug Palmer reported. Wyden wrote that Mexico and Canada are not meeting their obligations in areas such as agriculture and customs. He also criticized the administration for not bringing any action against Mexico for failing to meet implementation requirements or to correct labor rights abuses at certain individual production facilities. "It is critical that Mexico and Canada meet their obligations if American workers, farmers, businesses, and consumers are to reap the full benefits you promised they would receive from USMCA," Wyden said in his letter. If Democrats take control of the Senate, Wyden will take over as chair of the Finance Committee. Enforcement of the USMCA will be in the committee's court after Jan. 20. HUAWEI DEMANDS GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS: Huawei has sued the Trump administration for failing to turn over government communications and other records the Chinese technology behemoth requested more than a year ago under the Freedom of Information Act. In a complaint filed Friday, Huawei said its efforts to obtain the documents have "been met with a remarkable degree of stonewalling — conduct that is wholly inconsistent with FOIA's policy of promoting government openness and transparency." The requested documents include correspondence among federal agencies, including the departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury and State, related to trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the nations' battle for supremacy in 5G technology. Huawei is also seeking copies of communication between the government and journalists. Some of the records requested pertain specifically to the arrest and indictment of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive and daughter of the company's founder, who has been charged with bank fraud and other financial crimes. | 
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