U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick Robert Lighthizer to serve as his U.S. Trade Representative, tapping a seasoned trade negotiator to enact a key aspect of his agenda, senior transition officials said on Monday. Lighthizer served as a deputy U.S. trade representative with the rank of ambassador under Republican President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, according to a biography posted on the web site of Skadden Arps, the law firm where he is currently a partner.

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In the decades since he has represented U.S. clients in antidumping cases and pushed to open access to foreign markets, the biography says. As Trump’s trade representative, Lighthizer would play a key role in enacting a get-tough policy that could heighten tensions with China and other key U.S. trading partners.

However, he likely will not serve as the main architect of Trump’s trade policy. According to a transition spokesman, that role will go to billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, who Trump has picked to serve as Commerce Secretary.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to renegotiate international trade deals like NAFTA and punish companies that ship work overseas.

Trump has kept up the rhetoric since his surprise November election. He criticized China on Twitter on Monday for “taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade” while refusing to rein in nuclear-armed North Korea. </s> President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Robert Lighthizer, a lawyer and former trade official during the Reagan administration, as his nominee for U.S. trade representative.

Lighthizer was deputy U.S. trade representative during the Reagan administration. He is a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom.

“Ambassador Lighthizer is going to do an outstanding job representing the United States as we fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first,” Trump said in a statement.

The office of U.S. trade representative, created in 1962, is typically the government’s chief negotiator for trade deals and disputes.

The top job requires Senate confirmation. Under Trump, it is not expected to have as much power as it has in the past, several sources have told CNN.

Instead, the incoming administration aims to give the Commerce Department a bigger role on trade policy and negotiations, according to the sources. Trump has tapped billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as Commerce secretary.

Trump also added a wrinkle to the issue of trade policy when he named economist Peter Navarro to lead the newly created White House Trade Council.

The current trade rep, Michael Froman, was the Obama administration’s lead negotiator on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal that Trump has said he will withdraw from. </s> US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Robert Lighthizer to be U.S. trade representative, but his influence may be limited as Trump fills his team with wealthy deal makers.

Lighthizer, an official in the Reagan administration and a harsh critic of China’s trade practices, will be tasked with seeking deals aimed at reducing U.S. trade deficits. He joins Trump’s choices for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, and the head of a newly formed White House National Trade Council, Peter Navarro, as key officials in an administration where trade is very likely to take center stage.

Trump has also tapped his company’s long-time top lawyer, Jason Greenblatt, as a “special negotiator” for trade deals and other talks. It is unclear how these appointees will direct trade policy. While the Trump transition team has said the trade representative will still be the principal negotiator for trade deals, it has also said that Ross will be in charge of trade decisions.

Using multiple officials to shape trade policy is not new, said Scott Lincicome, an international trade attorney with White and Case. He noted that trade issues have often been tackled by various government agencies with differing objectives but said actual negotiations with other nations require a very clear line of authority. “If you actually have four guys show up at a trade negotiation, you’d have a problem,” said Lincicome, who stressed that countries must be certain that the U.S. negotiator has the support of the president.

“These are very high level diplomatic negotiations. Other countries take very seriously the diplomatic hierarchy. There is protocol,” he said. Trump, who promised during his campaign to renegotiate international trade deals such as NAFTA and punish companies that ship work overseas, has said that overhauling trade policy will be a top priority after he takes office on Jan. 20.

“USTR will still have statutory negotiation and enforcement powers, but where the big ideas on trade emerge from within a Trump administration remains to be seen,” said Marc Scribner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Lighthizer, deputy U.S. trade representative under Reagan, helped to stem the tide of imports from Japan in the 1980s with threats of quotas and punitive tariffs.

His return to the agency follows nearly three decades as a lawyer representing U.S. steelmakers and other companies in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases. Lighthizer is regarded as an experienced tactician with an intimate knowledge of trade tools that were widely used before the WTO was created in 1995, including “Section 301” tariffs used to stem a tide of imports of Japanese steel and vehicles in the 1980s. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Robert Lighthizer, an official in the Reagan administration and harsh critic of China’s trade practices, to be his chief trade negotiator, responsible for better deals aimed at reducing U.S. trade deficits.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump arrive for a New Year's Eve celebration with members and guests at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 31, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Trump, who promised during his presidential campaign to renegotiate international trade deals like NAFTA and punish companies that ship work overseas, said in announcing his choice that Lighthizer would help “fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first.”Lighthizer is a former deputy U.S. trade representative under former Republican President Ronald Reagan who helped to stem the tide of imports from Japan in the 1980s with threats of quotas and punitive tariffs.

His return to the agency follows nearly three decades as a lawyer representing U.S. steelmakers and other companies in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases.

Lighthizer has argued that China has failed to live up to commitments made in 2001 when it joined the World Trade Organization and that tougher tactics are needed to change the system, even if it means deviating from World Trade Organization rules.

“Years of passivity and drift among U.S. policymakers have allowed the U.S.­-China trade deficit to grow to the point where it is widely recognized as a major threat to our economy,” Lighthizer wrote in 2010 congressional testimony.

“Going forward, U.S. policymakers should take these problems more seriously, and should take a much more aggressive approach in dealing with China,” he wrote.

Lighthizer is regarded as an experienced tactician with an intimate knowledge of trade tools that were widely used before the WTO was created in 1995, including “Section 301” tariffs used to stem a tide of imports of Japanese steel and vehicles in the 1980s.

During his tenure, Reagan struck the 1985 Plaza Accord currency deal with Japan, Germany and other major trading partners that brought down the dollar’s value and encouraged more foreign companies to set up U.S. manufacturing plants.

“Bob Lighthizer is very smart, very strategic and totally fearless,” said a Washington attorney who has worked with him for three decades but asked not to be named. “You can expect him to use every tool available to create leverage to get China and anyone else to stop the cheating. He is no fan of the WTO.”

Still, Lighthizer is not expected to be the Trump administration’s leading voice on trade policy. Last month, Trump’s team said that task would fall to the U.S. Commerce Secretary nominee, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross..

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has also named Peter Navarro, an economist and adviser who has urged a hard line against China, as the head of a newly formed White House National Trade Council. </s> Tuesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Ambassador Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative, one of the final four Cabinet-level positions he will need to fill to complete his administration.

Lighthizer served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative under President Ronald Reagan, and played a leading role in developing trade policy by negotiating roughly two dozen bilateral international agreements on a variety of topics from steel to grain. The emphasis under President-elect Trump will be to repeat his success in the 1980s by significantly reducing the shipment of "unfairly traded" imports into the United States.

"Ambassador Lighthizer is going to do an outstanding job representing the United States as we fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first," the president-elect said. "He has extensive experience striking agreements that protect some of the most important sectors of our economy, and has repeatedly fought in the private sector to prevent bad deals from hurting Americans. He will do an amazing job helping turn around the failed trade policies which have robbed so many Americans of prosperity."

The Presidential Transition Team issued the following statement about Lighthizer:

In his new role, Ambassador Lighthizer will work in close coordination with Secretary of Commerce-designate Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, head of the newly created White House National Trade Council, to develop and implement policies that shrink our trade deficit, expand economic growth, strengthen our manufacturing base and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores.

Ambassador Lighthizer has long been a leader in U.S. trade policy, and has extensive experience in the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the private sector. Aside from his service in the Reagan administration, he was Chief of Staff of the United States Senate Committee of Finance when Congress passed the Reagan program of tax cuts and spending reductions, and also aided in the passage of legislation which implemented the Tokyo Round of trade negotiations. He has also represented the United States at meetings of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and meetings related to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the precursor to the World Trade Organization).

Ambassador Lighthizer headed up the international trade law practice at Skadden, Arps Slate, Meagher and Flom for over three decades. He has represented American manufacturers in many of the largest and most significant trade cases of the last 25 years, such as the steel safeguard case of the early 2000s—the last time any president granted global safeguard relief. He has worked on scores of successful cases that resulted in reducing unfair imports and helping thousands of American workers and numerous businesses.

Ambassador Lighthizer has also been an outspoken commentator on trade issues, giving speeches and writing articles for the New York Times and other publications, as well as providing testimony to key Congressional committees, the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, and other government agencies with responsibility for trade policy. He graduated from Georgetown University and the Georgetown University Law Center.

"It is a very high honor to represent our nation and to serve in President-elect Trump's administration as the U.S. Trade Representative," Lighthizer said. "I am fully committed to President-elect Trump's mission to level the playing field for American workers and forge better trade policies which will benefit all Americans."

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Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book. </s> President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Robert Lighthizer, a former Reagan administration official and longtime international trade attorney, to be his U.S. trade representative.

The Cabinet-level post will be especially important under Trump, who pledged during his campaign to strike trade deals that are more advantageous for the U.S. and scrap ones he deems unfair.

“Ambassador Lighthizer is going to do an outstanding job representing the United States as we fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first,” Trump said in a written statement.

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“He has extensive experience striking agreements that protect some of the most important sectors of our economy, and has repeatedly fought in the private sector to prevent bad deals from hurting Americans," Trump said. "He will do an amazing job helping turn around the failed trade policies which have robbed so many Americans of prosperity.”

The significance of trade to Trump was made clear shortly after the announcement when he complained via Twitter that General Motors Corp. was selling Chevrolet Cruze vehicles made in Mexico tax-free in the U.S.

GM responded that nearly all the Chevy Cruze vehicles sold in the U.S. are made here.

“All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in the U.S. are built in GM’s assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio,” the company said. “GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for global markets in Mexico, with a small number sold in the U.S.”

Lighthizer called Trump's intention to nominate him “a very high honor."

“I am fully committed to President-elect Trump’s mission to level the playing field for American workers and forge better trade policies which will benefit all Americans," Lighthizer said.

Lighthizer was deputy trade representative during the Reagan administration with responsibility for industry, agriculture, investment and trade policy matters. He negotiated two dozen bilateral trade deals, according to his biography for the Skadden, Arps Slate, Meagher and Flom law firm, where he has headed the international trade practice for about 30 years.

Before joining the Reagan administration, Lighthizer had been chief of staff for the Senate Finance Committee. In that job, he helped pass legislation that implemented a major round of trade negotiations.

The Trump statement said Lighthizer "has represented American manufacturers in many of the largest and most significant trade cases of the last 25 years."

"He has worked on scores of successful cases that resulted in reducing unfair imports and helping thousands of American workers and numerous businesses," the statement said.

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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), said he looked forward to “a vigorous discussion of Bob’s trade philosophy and priorities” during his confirmation hearing.

“Ensuring our past, present, and future trade agreements are the best possible deals for American workers and job creators is a shared goal supported by pro-trade lawmakers and the Trump administration alike,” Hatch said.

Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch said Lighthizer’s skepticism about trade puts him at odds with several other Trump Cabinet nominees who supported the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. Trump opposed the deal and it’s likely to be scrapped once he takes office.

“Lighthizer is very knowledgeable about both technical trade policy and the ways of Washington, but what sets him aside among high-level Republican trade experts is that for decades his views have been shaped by the pragmatic outcomes of trade agreements and policies rather than fealty to any particular ideology or theory,” said Wallach, whose organization also opposes TPP.

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Trump hammered the Federal Reserve as a candidate. As president, he could quickly reshape it </s> WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate trade lawyer Robert Lighthizer as U.S. trade representative, the presidential transition team announced on Tuesday.



Lighthizer, a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, previously served as deputy U.S. trade representative under President Ronald Reagan.



'Ambassador Lighthizer is going to do an outstanding job representing the United States as we fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first,' Trump said in a statement. 



The president-elect added, 'He has extensive experience striking agreements that protect some of the most important sectors of our economy, and has repeatedly fought in the private sector to prevent bad deals from hurting Americans.'



Lighthizer's views on U.S. trade policy are seen as in line with those of Trump, who has been critical of free trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and NAFTA and pledged to be tougher on counties such as China.



In a statement, Lighthizer said he is fully committed to Trump's mission to level the playing field for American workers and forge better trade policies which will benefit all Americans.



Trump's views on trade were reflected in a post to Twitter on Tuesday in which he criticized General Motors (GM) for sending a Mexican-made model of the Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers tax-free.



'General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border,' Trump tweeted. 'Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!'



(Photo: Michael Vadon)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX </s> U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting Canada has deliberately been left out of NAFTA discussions. (Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting Canada has deliberately been left on NAFTA’s sidelines as one-on-one talks heat up between Washington and Mexico.

For four straight weeks, U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo have held bilateral negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement, while Canada has been absent from the bargaining table.

Canadian officials have insisted they’re unfazed by being left out of the discussions because it’s allowing the U.S. and Mexico to sort out tough bilateral issues, such as their differences on autos. They’ve stressed that there have been a lot of one-on-one talks during NAFTA’s renegotiation process.

But some observers have refused to buy that argument. They’ve said Ottawa’s partners have frozen it out of the critical NAFTA negotiations as a tactic and have warned that Canada could eventually be forced into accepting a deal reached between the U.S. and Mexico.

Trump appeared to feed that belief during a televised cabinet meeting in Washington on Thursday — on the one-year anniversary of the start of NAFTA’s renegotiation.

“We’re not negotiating with Canada right now,” said Trump, who has frequently complained about Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector.

“Their tariffs are too high, their barriers are too strong, so we’re not even talking to them right now. But we’ll see how that works out. It will only work out to our favour.”

During the cabinet meeting, Lighthizer told the room he’s hoping for a NAFTA breakthrough with Mexico in the coming days.

“I’m hopeful with Mexico and then I hope once we get one with Mexico that Canada will come along,” Lighthizer said.

The U.S. and Mexican governments have both expressed optimism the entire NAFTA renegotiation could be concluded before the end of the month.

But Trump insisted Thursday that he’s in “no rush” to make a deal.

“If you don’t have a breakthrough, as you call it, don’t do the deal because it’s a lousy situation for the United States,” he told Lighthizer.

“We have much better alternatives than that, you understand? So, if you can’t make the right deal, don’t make it.”

Trump added that NAFTA has “been a disaster for our country.”

Asked about Trump’s remarks Thursday, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa’s officials remain in touch with their American and Mexican partners.

“Minister Freeland, Ambassador (David) MacNaughton and the Canadian negotiating team are in regular contact with their counterparts and we look forward to continuing these important discussions in the coming weeks,” Adam Austen wrote in an email.

“Our focus remains defending Canadian interests as we work towards a modernized, updated NAFTA agreement.” </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption US trade representative Robert Lighthizer spoke of an "erosion" of commitments

US trade representative Robert Lighthizer has accused China of backtracking on commitments in trade talks, but insisted a deal on tariffs is still possible.

He said President Trump's threat to impose new taxes on Chinese exports came after China reneged on promises.

But he said a Chinese delegation was still expected in Washington on Thursday for a further round of talks.

US stocks regained ground after sharp falls earlier.

On Sunday Mr Trump said on Twitter the US would more than double tariffs on $200bn (£152bn) of Chinese goods on Friday and could introduce fresh tariffs.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr Lighthizer said: "Over the course of the last week or so we have seen an erosion in commitments by China. That in our view is unacceptable."

He said China had tried to substantively change the text of an agreement between the countries as it was nearing its final stages.

"We're not breaking off talks at this point. But for now... come Friday there will be tariffs in place," Mr Lighthizer said.

Earlier, world stock markets sank following the president's tweets, with the Shanghai Composite tumbling 5.6%.

However in the US the Dow Jones closed down just 0.3%, having slumped 471 points - almost 1.8% - in early trading.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption China's top trade official Liu He will is still expected to return to Washington this week

What did Mr Trump say?

On Sunday the US president tweeted that tariffs of 10% on certain goods would rise to 25% on Friday, and $325bn of untaxed goods could face 25% duties "shortly".

"The Trade Deal with China continues, but too slowly, as they attempt to renegotiate. No!" he tweeted.

He followed that on Monday by tweeting that the US had been "losing" $500bn a year on trade with China. "Sorry, we're not going to be doing that anymore!" his tweet said.

After imposing duties on billions of dollars worth of one another's goods last year, the US and China have been negotiating and in recent weeks, appeared to be close to striking a deal.

Last week US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin described talks held in Beijing as "productive".

But according to reports, in recent days US officials have become frustrated by China's refusal to change its laws as part of the deal - something that had previously been agreed.

Other sticking points have included how to enforce a deal, whether and how fast to roll back tariffs already imposed and issues around intellectual property protection.

On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that the negotiations were 90% complete but that Chinese negotiators were trying to "go back on language that had been previously negotiated".

"[This was] very clear language, that had the potential of changing the deal dramatically," he said.

Is the deal over?

So far, the US has imposed tariffs on $250bn of Chinese goods, having accused the country of unfair trade practices.

Beijing hit back with duties on $110bn of US goods, blaming the US for starting "the largest trade war in economic history".

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US is the biggest export market for Chinese goods

However, some analysts have questioned whether Mr Trump's threats are a negotiating tactic.

William Reinsch, trade policy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said China would never meet all the US demands.

"At some point the president is going to figure out that they're not going to give him everything he wants," he told news agency AFP.

That will put Mr Trump in "a precarious political position" whether "to accept an agreement that will be criticised as weak, or not to have an agreement and be criticised for failing".

What will the tariff rise affect?

Mr Trump's latest move will raise duties on more than 5,000 products made by Chinese producers, ranging from chemicals to textiles and consumer goods.

The US president originally imposed a 10% tariff on these goods in September that was due to rise in January, but postponed this as negotiations advanced.

Fears about a further escalation caused a slump in world stock markets towards the end of last year.

The IMF has warned a full-blown trade war would weaken the global economy.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Robert Lighthizer will be the country's chief trade negotiator.