[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 167 (Monday, August 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44895-44896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20891]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning
China's Compliance With WTO Commitments
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing concerning
China's compliance with its WTO commitments.
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SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will
convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist the Office
of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the preparation of
its annual report to the Congress on China's compliance with the
commitments made in connection with its accession to the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
DATES: Persons wishing to testify at the hearing must provide written
notification of their intention, as well as a copy of their testimony,
by noon, Friday, September 18, 2009. Written comments are due by noon,
Tuesday, September 22, 2009. A hearing will be held in Washington, DC,
on Friday, October 2, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted electronically via the Internet
at http://www.regulations.gov. For alternatives to on-line submissions
please contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, at (202) 395-3475.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments or participation in the public hearing, contact Gloria
Blue, (202) 395-3475. All other questions should be directed to
Terrence J. McCartin, Deputy Assistant United States Trade
Representative for China Enforcement, (202) 395-3900, or Claire E.
Reade, Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement, (202) 395-9625.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
China became a Member of the WTO on December 11, 2001. In
accordance with section 421 of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000
(Pub. L. 106-286), USTR is required to submit, by December 11 of each
year, a report to Congress on China's compliance with commitments made
in connection with its accession to the WTO, including both
multilateral commitments and any bilateral commitments made to the
United States. In accordance with section 421, and to assist it in
preparing this year's report, the TPSC is hereby soliciting public
comment. Last year's report is available on USTR's Internet Web site
(at http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/asset_upload_file192_15258.pdf).
The terms of China's accession to the WTO are contained in the
Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (including
its annexes) (Protocol), the Report of the Working Party on the
Accession of China (Working Party Report), and the WTO agreements. The
Protocol and Working Party Report can be found on the Department of
Commerce Web page, http://www.mac.doc.gov/China/WTOAccessionPackage.htm, or on the WTO Web site, http://docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: WT/L/432, WT/MIN(01)/3, WT/
MIN(01)/3/Add.1, WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.2).
2. Public Comment and Hearing
USTR invites written comments and/or oral testimony of interested
persons on China's compliance with commitments made in connection with
its accession to the WTO, including, but not limited to, commitments in
the following areas: (a) Trading rights; (b) import regulation (e.g.,
tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas, import licenses); (c) export
regulation; (d) internal policies affecting trade (e.g., subsidies,
standards and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary
measures, government procurement, trade-related investment measures,
taxes and charges levied on imports and exports); (e) intellectual
property rights (including intellectual property rights enforcement);
(f) services; (g) rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial
review, uniform administration of laws and regulations) and status of
legal reform; and (h) other WTO commitments. In addition, given the
United States' view that China should be held accountable as a full
[[Page 44896]]
participant in, and beneficiary of, the international trading system
(see ``U.S.-China Trade Relations: Entering a New Phase of Greater
Accountability and Enforcement,'' issued by USTR in February 2006,
http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Top-to-Bottom%20Review%20FINAL.pdf), USTR requests that interested persons
also specifically identify unresolved compliance issues that warrant
review and evaluation by USTR's China Enforcement Task Force.
Written comments must be received no later than noon, Tuesday,
September 22, 2009.
A hearing will be held on Friday, October 2, 2009, in Room 1, 1724
F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. If necessary, the hearing will
continue on the next business day.
Persons wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide
written notification of their intention by noon, Friday, September 18,
2009. The notification should include: (1) The name, address, and
telephone number of the person presenting the testimony; and (2) a
short (one or two paragraph) summary of the presentation, including the
commitments at issue and, as applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS
numbers), service sector(s), or other subjects to be discussed. A copy
of the testimony must accompany the notification. Remarks at the
hearing should be limited to no more than five minutes to allow for
possible questions from the TPSC.
All documents should be submitted in accordance with the
instructions in section 3 below.
3. Requirements for Submissions
Persons submitting intent to testify and/or comments must do so in
English and must identify (on the first page of the submission)
``China's WTO Compliance.''
In order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and
consideration of comments, USTR has arranged to accept on-line
submissions via http://www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via
http://www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2009-0025 on the
home page and click ``go''. The site will provide a search-results page
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to
this notice by selecting ``Notice'' under ``Document Type'' on the left
side of the search-results page, and click on the link entitled ``Send
a Comment or Submission.'' (For further information on using the
www.regulations.gov http://www.regulations.gov/ Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page.)
The http://www.regulations.gov Web site provides the option of
making submissions by filling in a ``General Comments'' field, or by
attaching a document. We expect that most submissions will be provided
in an attached document. If a document is attached, it is sufficient to
type ``See attached'' in the ``General Comments'' field.
Submit any documents containing business confidential information,
beginning with the characters ``BC''. Submit, as a separate submission,
a public version of the submission with a file name beginning with the
character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed by the name of
the person or entity submitting the comments. For comments that contain
no business confidential information, the file name should begin with
the character ``P'', followed by the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments. Electronic submissions should not attach
separate cover letters; rather, information that might appear in a
cover letter should be included in the comments you submit. Similarly,
to the extent possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other
attachments to a submission in the same file as the submission itself
and not as separate files.
We strongly urge submitters to use electronic filing. If an on-line
submission is impossible, alternative arrangements must be made with
Ms. Blue prior to delivery for the receipt of such submissions. Ms.
Blue may be contacted at (202) 395-3475.
General information concerning USTR may be obtained by accessing
its Internet Web site (http://www.ustr.gov).
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E9-20891 Filed 8-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W9-P