Catherine Thai Trade Representative, who was unanimously approved by the US Senate on the 17th. AP Yonhap News
Catherine Tai, 45, the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) representative-nominee, was exceptionally “unanimous” approved by the Senate. Thailand’s representative was given the title of the first Asian female head to lead the USTR.
According to Reuters, on the 17th (local time), the Senate passed the Thai representative approval bill with 98 votes in favor and 0 votes against it. Until now, among the nominees for the cabinet of Joe Biden, Thai representative is the only official who has been unanimously approved. Reuters interpreted it as “supported by the pro-worker-oriented Democratic Party, the Republican Party, a traditional advocate of free trade, and the hawks of both parties against China.”
Tai, a Taiwanese immigrant, graduated from Yale University and Harvard University Law School and worked as a senior Chinese lawyer at USTR for 7 years from 2007 to 2014. At that time, he was known as a hard-liner of the masses, leading a trade dispute with China and filing several complaints with the World Trade Organization (WTO). At a hearing on the approval of the Senate Financial Committee on the 25th of last month, he said, “I will cooperate with the alliance against China’s aggressive trade policy.”
In December of last year, while working as a trade adviser for the Democratic Party on the House Revenue Committee, he was involved in negotiations to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). At the time, it played a key role in putting in stronger labor and environmental provisions, and received solid support from both the labor and business circles.
The unanimous approval of Thailand’s representative is drawing more attention, coupled with the situation where Asian hate crimes in the US, such as the shooting incident in Atlanta, are emerging as a serious social problem. Senate Representative Chuck Schumer of the Democratic Party advocated, “Thai is one of the most seasoned international trade experts in the United States.” It contrasts with,” he said.
Kim Pyo-hyang reporter [email protected]
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
