US Trade Representative Discusses WTO Reform With UK, French Counterparts - Statement

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2021) US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai met with UK and French counterparts in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G7 Trade Ministerial conference in London and discussed issues including World Trade Organization reform, the Office of the USTR said on Friday.

"United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today met with France Minister-Delegate for Foreign Trade Franck Riester on the margins of the G7," the Office of the USTR said in a release. "Ambassador Tai and Minister-Delegate Riester then discussed the need for World Trade Organization (WTO) reform, including the dispute settlement system, and reaching meaningful outcomes at the upcoming WTO Ministerial conference.

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Tai also discussed with UK Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan the importance of reforming the WTO and its dispute settlement system, USTR said. They also discussed the upcoming 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, which is set to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the release said.

Tai also discussed the issue of China's non-market practices, particularly Beijing's excess capacity in the steel and aluminum sectors that has been identified by the WTO as a major problem with the country's trade regime in a recent report, the release added.

Tai also expressed the United States' commitment to the bilateral relationships it maintains with the United Kingdom and France, according to the release.