Trump pick for US trade envoy suggests he would try to revive 2020 phase-one China deal

Jamieson Greer vows to ensure ‘fair’ market access as well as review duty-free handling of smaller parcels from the mainland and Hong Kong

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Jamieson Greer, US President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the US Trade Representative, testifies in Washington on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:40am, 7 Feb 2025Updated: 3:42am, 7 Feb 2025

Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Office of the US Trade Representative indicated he would try to revive Washington’s phase-one trade deal with Beijing to ensure “fair” market access for American producers.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Jamieson Greer also pledged to review the duty-free handling of smaller parcels entering the US from China and “restructure” the international trading system to better serve American interests.

Citing the American president’s recent directive to the USTR to review China’s compliance with the 2020 pact, Greer said he “would expect to very quickly assess the results of that compliance review and very quickly go about enforcing compliance”.

Greer at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday described the agreement meant to address the two economies’ trade deficit as “of critical importance” for the countries to do business.

Under the deal, China committed to buying at least US$502.4 billion of US goods over a two-year period. However, after Trump left office in 2020 and China failed to buy enough goods, the deal fell apart under his successor, Joe Biden.

Greer was involved in the deal’s negotiations when he worked in the first Trump administration under Robert Lighthizer, then America’s top trade envoy. The career lawyer also worked on the implementation of US tariffs on more than US$300 billion worth of mainland imports in 2018.