Michael House was a featured speaker at the ABA’s Section of International Law Fall Conference on October 27, 2017, speaking on the subject of the U.S. Administration’s trade and investment policies toward China.

It is fairly clear that President Trump intends to reexamine the existing relationship with China, particularly in the areas of international trade and foreign direct investment. One can expect the Trump Administration to consider imposing new tariffs, to put pressure on the Chinese currency and to discourage the movement or relocation of U.S. companies to China. There is the possibility of his Administration’s reassessment and strengthening of the current national security review process by CFIUS, resistance to China’s request to be treated as a market economy and reassessment of the U.S. relationships with geographical territories claimed by China. These initiatives will involve the amendment or scrapping of existing laws and treaties with China and may run counter to certain WTO requirements. These measures in many instances will also be imposed on other countries and will have global implications, such as the resetting of NAFTA. A panel of experienced practitioners will examine the legal changes resulting from these developments and will discuss how to operate going forward within this new international order.