US Senate confirms Katherine Tai as Biden's chief trade negotiator

Washington [US], March 18 : The US Senate on Wednesday (local time) unanimously approved the nomination of Katherine Tai as President Joe Biden's chief trade negotiator.
Senators voted 98-0 to confirm Tai as the next US Trade Representative, making her the first woman of colour and the first Asian American to serve as the nation's top ambassador on trade policy. Her nomination was unanimously approved by the Senate Finance Committee on March 3 after endorsements from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, reported The Hill.
Tai had been the top lawyer on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy, since 2017. She joined the committee in 2014 and played a key role in negotiations between the Trump administration and the House of Representatives over the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Tai has also worked in the Office of the US Trade Representative since 2007, rising to chief counsel for China enforcement in 2011. Her bipartisan credentials and expertise on China will be used as Biden administration faces several challenges in trade with other countries.
According to The Hill, four years of US isolationism and steep tariffs have alienated Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and Japan, posing a major obstacle for Biden as he attempts to repair frayed relationships with close economic partners and create a united front against China's abusive trade practices.
US-China relations have also deteriorated over Beijing's imprisonment and sterilization of Uyghurs, attempts to limit Hong Kong's independence, and growing fears that it could invade Taiwan within years.