The International Trade Commission (ITC) will hold a hearing June 11 as part of its investigation into the U.S. Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade talks with Japan and the economic effect of duty-free treatment of imports, according to a May 15 Federal Register notice. The hearing is being scheduled as a result of request from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which is concerned about the impact that duty-free imports may have on U.S. consumers and domestic business that produce similar or directly competitive products.
The report will focus on Japan and the other 10 countries participating in the TPP negotiations–Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The ITC will provide an assessment of the probable economic effects of eliminating tariffs on imports of certain agricultural products from the 11 countries on U.S. producers and the U.S. economy as a whole.
