WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai spoke with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday about shared interests, including concerns about China’s unfair trading practices and human rights, and World Trade Organization reforms, USTR said in a statement.
Continuing a series of calls with her international counterparts, Tai voiced the Biden administration’s support for engagement on digital trade issues and participating in international forums, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“Ambassador Tai and Minister Motegi also agreed on the importance of maintaining regular, ongoing engagement on these and other critical trade issues,” USTR said.
Motegi was the principal negotiator for a limited trade pact with the United States in 2019 under Tai’s predecessor, Robert Lighthizer. The deal lowered Japanese tariffs and increased quotas on U.S. beef and other agricultural products in exchange for reduced U.S. tariffs on some Japanese industrial goods.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
