Clete Willems Quoted in Nikkei Asian Review on Pandemic’s Effect on U.S.-China Trade Ties

Nikkei Asian Review has quoted Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems in the article “Hawks in Washington take aim at medical imports from China.” With the coronavirus pandemic putting a spotlight on the United States’ reliance on Chinese medical supplies, the article reports that some American policymakers are pushing ahead with efforts to decouple the two economies.

The article notes that the Trump administration has drafted an executive order that would encourage government agencies to “buy American” when it comes to medical products. Such moves, though, according to the article, are a cause of concern for those companies that are struggling amid the pandemic

While the outbreak has “significantly increased” long-standing concerns about Beijing’s reliability as a trading partner, Washington must be careful with its policy responses, said Willems. “Instead of trying to make everything domestically, which is unrealistic, the United States should seek to strengthen partnerships with trusted allies that it can rely on in a time of need,” he said.

Willems recommended that the United States revisit aspects of its tariff posture. For example, he said, it “should lead the world in dropping tariffs on all medical supplies as soon as possible and should consider whether to expand and extend tariff deferrals to try to get companies and consumers through a difficult period.”