Alan Price Comments on U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s Trade Strategy with China

October 8, 2018

Alan H. Price, chair of Wiley Rein’s International Trade Practice, was quoted in an October 2 Politico Pro article about United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer’s trade strategy regarding China. Mr. Price has known Ambassador Lighthizer for more than 20 years, through their respective efforts to defend U.S. companies against unfair trade practices by foreign governments. Amb. Lighthizer and his team at the Office of the USTR draw on their prior experience in private practice, where they represented domestic steel companies in antidumping cases against Chinese competitors, according to the article.

“They watched many of their steel clients go bankrupt,” Mr. Price said. “At the same time, they saw the withering of manufacturing of the steel companies’ customers.” He added that Amb. Lighthizer leads a well-oiled USTR team where “there isn’t any infighting or second-guessing. They have faith in Bob leading them in the right direction.”

Mr. Price also cited Amb. Lighthizer’s effectiveness in advancing the Administration’s long-term trade strategy with respect to China.

“At this point you are seeing the U.S. basically say, ‘we are going to push back on China, and guess what, it’s going to be complicated to do, because our supply chains are fragile, our technology is increasingly fragile … but this is the last chance we have to do it,” Mr. Price told Politico Pro. “Bob can play that game very well.”

The article can be found here (subscription required).