[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 158 (Thursday, August 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56117-56118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17633]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2023-0008]


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
China's Compliance With WTO Commitments

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking 
public comment to assist the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to 
Congress on China's compliance with its obligations as a Member of the 
World Trade Organization (WTO). This notice includes the schedule for 
the submission of comments to the TPSC for the China report and a 
public hearing.

DATES: 
    September 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of 
written comments, requests to testify, and summaries of written 
testimony.
    October 4, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. EDT: The TPSC will convene a public 
hearing to receive oral testimony.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submitting written 
comments and testimony and requests to testify in sections III and IV 
below, using Docket Number USTR-2023-0008. For alternatives to on-line 
submissions, please contact Alex Martin, Deputy Director for China 
Affairs, in advance of the relevant deadline at 
[email protected] or (202) 395-9625.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex Martin, Deputy Director for China 
Affairs at [email protected] or (202) 395-9625.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    China became a Member of the WTO on December 11, 2001. In 
accordance with section 421 of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 
(Pub. L. 106-286), USTR is required to submit, on or about December 11 
of each year, a report to Congress on China's compliance with 
commitments made in connection with its accession to the WTO, including 
both multilateral commitments and any bilateral commitments made to the 
United States. In accordance with section 421, and to assist it in 
preparing this year's report, the TPSC is soliciting public comments. 
You can find last year's report on USTR's website at https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/2022%20USTR%20Report%20to%20Congress%20on%20China's%20WTO%20Compliance%2
0-%20Final.pdf.
    The terms of China's accession to the WTO are contained in the 
Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (including 
its annexes) (Protocol), the Report of the Working Party on the 
Accession of China (Working Party Report), and the WTO agreements. You 
can find the Protocol and Working Party Report on the WTO website at 
http://docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: WT/L/432, WT/MIN(01)/3, 
WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.1, WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.2).

II. Hearing Participation

    USTR will convene a public hearing on October 4, 2023, related to 
China's compliance with its WTO commitments. Persons wishing to observe 
the public hearing will find a link on USTR's web page for China on the 
day of the hearing at https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan. To ensure participation, you must submit requests to 
present oral testimony at the hearing and written testimony by midnight 
on September 20, 2023, via Regulations.gov, using Docket Number USTR-
2023-0008. Instructions for submission are in sections III and IV 
below. Remarks at the hearing will be limited to no more than five 
minutes to allow for possible questions from the TPSC. Because it is a 
public hearing, testimony should not include any business confidential 
information (BCI). USTR will provide a link in advance of the virtual 
hearing to persons wishing to testify.
    The TPSC requests small businesses or organizations representing 
small

[[Page 56118]]

business members that submit comments to self-identify as such, so that 
we may be aware of issues of particular interest to small businesses.
    Written comments and/or oral testimony should address China's 
compliance with the commitments made in connection with its accession 
to the WTO, including, but not limited to, commitments in the following 
areas:
    A. Trading rights.
    B. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas, 
import licenses).
    C. Export regulation.
    D. Internal policies affecting trade (e.g., subsidies, standards 
and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, 
government procurement, trade-related investment measures, taxes and 
charges levied on imports and exports).
    E. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property 
rights enforcement).
    F. Services.
    G. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, uniform 
administration of laws and regulations) and status of legal reform.
    H. Other WTO commitments.
    In addition, given the United States' view that China should be 
held accountable as a full participant in, and beneficiary of, the 
international trading system, USTR requests that interested persons 
specifically identify unresolved compliance issues that warrant review 
and evaluation by USTR.

III. Procedures for Written Submissions

    To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments, 
requests to testify, and summaries of written testimony by the 
September 20, 2023 11:59 p.m. EDT deadline. All submissions must be in 
English. The TPSC strongly encourages submissions via Regulations.gov, 
using Docket Number USTR-2023-0008.
    To make a submission via Regulations.gov, enter Docket Number USTR-
2023-0008 in the `search for' field on the home page and click 
`search.' The site will provide a search results page listing all 
documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice 
by selecting `notice' under `document type' in the `refine documents 
results' section on the left side of the screen and click on the link 
entitled `comment.' Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by 
filling in a `type comment' field, or by attaching a document using the 
`upload file' field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an 
attached document and, in such cases, that you write `see attached' in 
the `type comment' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word 
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than 
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the `type 
comment' field.
    At the beginning of your submission or on the first page (if an 
attachment), include the following text: (1) 2023 China WTO Compliance 
Report; (2) your organization's name; and (3) whether the submission is 
a written comment, request to testify, or summary of written testimony. 
Submissions should not exceed 30 single-spaced, standard letter-size 
pages in 12-point type, including attachments. Please do not attach 
separate cover letters, exhibits, annexes, or other attachments to 
electronic submissions; rather, include any in the same file as the 
submission itself, not as separate files. You will receive a tracking 
number upon completion of the submission procedure at Regulations.gov. 
The tracking number is confirmation that Regulations.gov received your 
submission. Keep the confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to 
provide technical assistance for Regulations.gov.
    For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult 
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use 
Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may not consider 
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
    If you are unable to provide submissions as requested, please 
contact Alex Martin, Deputy Director for China Affairs, in advance of 
the deadline at [email protected] or (202) 395-9625, to 
arrange for an alternative method of transmission. USTR will not accept 
hand-delivered submissions. General information concerning USTR is 
available at www.ustr.gov.

IV. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions

    If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must 
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not 
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted 
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must 
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at 
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must 
submit a public version of their submission that will be placed in the 
docket for public inspection. The file name of the public version 
should begin with the character `P.'

V. Public Viewing of Review Submissions

    USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public 
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view submissions at 
Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2023-0008 in the search 
field on the home page.

William Shpiece,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2023-17633 Filed 8-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F3-P