Please join us for the night to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of Women in Trade! Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at The National Press Club Awards recipients include:
“Woman of the Year” awardee Chrystia Freeland, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Canada
“Business Legacy” awardees Doral Cooper and Kate Clemans, C&M International
“Government Service” awardee Kelly Ann Shaw, National Economic Council, National Security Council
“Emerging Leader” awardee Hemal Shah, US Chamber of Commerce
Early Bird Rates are Valid until FRIDAY, May 17th! Student/Government WIIT Member $80 / Regular WIIT Member $100 / Non-Members $125 *Corporate Members have complimentary tickets available. Please contact info@wiit.org for more information.
Leadership Series with Nancy McLernon,Organization for International Investment (OFII)
For close to 30 years, Nancy has advocated for a level playing field for the U.S. operations of foreign companies. Our discussion will focus on building a career in DC – from finding a gap (lack of representation for foreign companies) to creating an organization (OFII) that would become a premier lobbying association, Nancy has driven a leadership career defining one of the most interesting trade careers in DC where misinformation abounds. Nancy brings incredible skills to the discussion, including and a wide range of critical global trade policy experience and organization growth/management. In this interactive roundtable, Nancy will highlight key career skills, lessons learned, and opportunities to define your own interesting path in DC.
May 16th from 3:30 - 5:00pm
Arnold & Porter, 601 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC
The Multilateral Trading System at Risk? Updating Global Trade Rules and Reforming the WTO
The Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT) and LGBT Professionals in International Trade (GATT DC), together with the Norwegian Embassy, are delighted to present a panel discussion on reforming the World Trade Organization.
The panel discussion will feature overviews from senior trade officials at foreign embassies in Washington, including perspectives on reform of the WTO. U.S. industry representatives will also discuss their perspectives on the need to reform the multilateral trading system and the importance of the WTO. Hear from:
Elizabeth Bowes, Minister Counselor, Embassy of Australia
Kristin Hansen, Minister Counselor, Embassy of Norway
Jake Colvin, Vice President, Global Trade and Innovation, NFTC
May 22nd from 6:00pm - 8:15pm
Residence of the Ambassador of Norway, 3401 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC
June 3, 2019 | 4:00pm - 7:00pm
CO-SPONSORED EVENT: Understanding Trump's
National Security Tariffs: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962
Hosted by The George Washington University, Washington, DC
June 12, 2019 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm
2019 WIIT Annual Meeting Open to Current WIIT Members Only
Hosted at The National Press Club, Washington, DC
June 12, 2019 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm
2019 WIIT Annual Awards Dinner
6:00 - 7:00 PM | Cocktail Reception
7:00 - 9:00 PM | Dinner and Awards Program
Hosted at The National Press Club, Washington, DC
Have you Updated your WIIT Profile?
WIIT Members please take five minutes to update your profile, express your interest in participating in the speakers bureau, and provide complete information for the WIIT Membership Directory. Your participation will deepen the WIIT network of members and create professional and speaking opportunities. Thank you for your investment of time to strengthen WIIT.
In The News
WIIT Member Wendy Cutler wrote a New York Times OpEd with thoughts on where things stand and where they might be going in U.S-China trade talks.
The Global Risks of a US-China Deal The US should lead a return to a rules-based framework rather than grab the easy option
by Neena Shenai, AEI
As US-China trade talks resume this week, the topics for discussion will include China’s demand for the creation of two-way “enforcement offices” in the US and China, with the threat of US unilateral tariffs as a backstop if all else fails.
It is surprising that a US administration that has staked so much on its muscular trade negotiating tactics might be satisfied with this, given China’s inconsistent record of compliance with its trade commitments.
Designing an enforcement mechanism has not been simple. The truth is that the Trump administration has no legal means to enforce China’s compliance with any deal. The US could refuse to lift the tariffs it has imposed, or it could levy more. But do tariffs adequately address China’s violations of intellectual property rights, cyber theft and forced technology transfer?
It is true that China has broken the rules time and again. But the US has confronted China for stealthily violating trade rules while unashamedly breaking the rules itself. It has imposed unilateral tariffs against China — under a US law it vowed not to use in contravention of its WTO obligations — and used precarious national security justifications to levy unilateral duties on steel and aluminium against China and other trading partners.
The administration defends its actions by pointing out that China and others cheat, while the US follows the rules and loses. Yet its punitive approach has not yielded results. Instead, the US has ceded the high ground, damaged its relationships with key trading partners, and allowed China to pay lip service to the rule of law and free trade.
It is not too late for the US to take a strategic, long-term approach with China by recommitting to the rule of law and focusing on established enforcement tools. Given that the US has no free trade agreement with China, the US should use WTO rules and norms to frame China’s non-compliance. While the WTO has faced fundamental challenges, the organisation offers the only global set of trade rules that reflect core US values and constitute the basis upon which the US can build global support to challenge Chinese economic practices.
Bilateral discussions should ensure that China complies with its unfulfilled WTO commitments, and with any so-called “WTO plus” commitments that may be made in a bilateral deal, such as on state-owned enterprises and cross-border data flows. Embedding these discussions within a strong US commitment to the WTO rules-based framework would focus attention on China as the rule breaker, rather than the US, and enable support from key US trading partners.
Such a “return” to the WTO by the US and China should include two vital elements: a request for a waiver for any deal that includes WTO-inconsistent measures, and a commitment to submit to fast-track WTO arbitration should the two countries disagree.
The waiver: the $250bn US unilateral tariffs, along with China’s retaliation, are dubiously legal under WTO rules. Details trickling out of the bilateral talks suggest that a deal may include a reduction of these tariffs if certain benchmarks are met, or, in cases of non-compliance, their reimposition (called tariff snapbacks). By seeking a WTO waiver for their bilateral deal, the US and China would ensure that any tariff mechanisms were WTO consistent. This pragmatic compromise recognises that the US and China will use bilateral negotiations to address issues, while avoiding a public rebuke of the WTO.
Arbitration: under current WTO rules, arbitration is available to WTO members as an alternative means of dispute resolution. The US and China could agree to resort to WTO arbitration for disputes over existing and new trade commitments, which would be expeditious, unlike general dispute settlement, and would also allow the US to legally impose tariffs (or other trade measures) on China if it refused to comply. It has the added benefit of not having been used. Arbitration between the world’s largest economies would be groundbreaking and re-establish a precedent for solving disputes legally.
Facing pressure for political wins and fixated on trade deficits, the Trump administration may settle for compelling China to buy more US exports and agree to unenforceable changes to its economic model. If it chooses this path, the US will have created a managed trade framework with China — adopting a model out of China’s playbook — at the cost of its commitment to free market values and the international economic architecture.
This would waste a historic opportunity to level the playing field and ensure growth and prosperity for both countries, the world economy and the global trading system.
Published at Financial Times' Beyondbrics
Internship Announcement
The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) is seeking an International Trade Intern. The International Trade Intern will work with the Trade and International Affairs team at AAM to strengthen the advocacy capabilities of the association through research, expert identification, and the development of better tools for member engagement. More details can be found here: www.accessiblemeds.org/careers
Event Recaps
WIIT and the Atlantic Council Hosts May 13th Trade Talk on
US-India Trade Ties at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
On May 13 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman hosted a trade talk titled “Solving the Indian Equation: The evolving and uncertain nature of US-India trade ties” organized by WIIT in partnership with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.
The talk which featured Amb. Richard Verma (former US ambassador to India in the Obama administration), Prof. Arvind Panagariya (Professor of Economics at Columbia University), Nisha Biswal (President of the US-India Business Council) and Mark Linscott (former USTR for South Asia) was moderated by Moushami Joshi (VP of Programming and Co-chair WTO Section, WIIT). Pillsbury Winthrop trade partner Steve Becker provided opening remarks.
The talk covered a number of themes from strategic engagement initiatives during the Obama administration, the size and opportunity presented by the Indian economy, current trade disputes and clashes between the United States and India and the path forward for the two countries. The panelists spoke candidly about seeing the trading relationship as part of a larger strategic relationship rather than resorting to a transactional approach with a focus on short term deliverables. The panelists were is agreement that a postponement of the decision to withdraw GSP benefits to India, a move opposed to by several business associations was a positive development and provided the platform for the next Indian government, which will be formed after the May 23 results of the general elections, to reset the relationship and frame a more ambitious vision for the partnership.
Several media outlets covered the event including Inside US Trade.
FREE SALARY NEGOTIATION TRAINING OPPORTUNITY!
Don’t wait for a new job or a performance review to learn to advocate for yourself at work. Sign up for AAUW Work Smart Online, a FREE self-paced online salary negotiation workshop, designed to empower women with the skills and confidence to negotiate for fair pay. http://bit.ly/AAUWWorkSmartNL
Self Confidence is one of the hardest things to achieve, especially for women. WIIT is sharing inspirational musings by women leaders to combat this and help women be less ambivalent to LEAN IN and get to the top!
“I am a woman assuming her own destiny, full of energy and in love with life. It's never too late to start."
Leadership Series with Nancy McLernon,Organization for International Investment (OFII)
The Multilateral Trading System at Risk? Updating Global Trade Rules and Reforming the WTO 
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Internship Announcement
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