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ISSA Advocacy Recap—Canada to Impose Tariffs on $2.7 Billion in U.S. Goods

Welcome to the ISSA Advocacy Recap, our regular roundup of the latest public policy issues impacting the cleaning industry. This week’s recap touches on Canada imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, China’s pursuit of economic self-reliance, the status of the U.S.-China trade deal, and more.

Canada to Impose Tariffs on $2.7 Billion in U.S. Goods after Trump Reignites Trade Feud
Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on US$2.7 billion worth of U.S. goods, the latest development in a new trade feud sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose aluminum duties on the U.S. ally. “Canada will respond swiftly and strongly,” Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. “We will impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures in a balanced and perfectly reciprocal retaliation,” she stated, according to CNBC. ISSA has strongly supported the recently implemented United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

China Pursues Economic Self-Reliance as External Risks Grow
China intends to reduce its reliance on overseas markets and technology for its economic development, government advisers say, as U.S. hostility and a global pandemic increase external risks that could hamper longer-term progress. The country’s leaders have proposed a so-called “dual circulation” model of growth to steer the economy, the sources said. This model would prioritize “internal circulation” to boost domestic demand and be supplemented by “external circulation,” according to Reuters.

U.S.-China Trade Deal Is ‘Fine,’ Trump Adviser Kudlow Says
The trade deal is “fine” and China is “substantially” increasing purchases of American goods, President Trump’s top economic adviser Larry Kudlow said, dismissing concerns that rising tensions between the two countries might jeopardize the deal. The “one area we are engaging is trade,” Bloomberg reports Kudlow as saying. China continues to promise to implement the phase-one trade and the evidence shows they are increasing purchases, especially of commodities, Kudlow said. ISSA supports a comprehensive trade deal that addresses the unfair trade practices of China, protects intellectual property, eliminates tariffs, and provides a level-playing field from which both the U.S. and China can mutually benefit.

Other links of interest

• Get a Handle on Hand Sanitizers with Next Week’s Webinar
• U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall to 963,000, First Time below 1 Million since Mid-March
• Months Into Recession, Fed’s Main Street Loan Program at Crossroads
• Take Action Now – Urge Your Elected Officials to Support a Cleaning Tax Credit
• Support Advocacy on Behalf of the Cleaning Industry: Invest in the ISSA Advocacy Fund Today