WASHINGTON –
United States Trade Representative Rob Portman today announced the co-chairs of
a China Enforcement Task Force within USTR.
The establishment of the task force follows through on a commitment made in
the top-to-bottom review of U.S.-China trade policy unveiled by Ambassador
Portman on February 14, 2006.
The task force will be co-chaired by Stephen Kho, who is serving as the
Acting Chief Counsel for China Enforcement, and Terry McCartin, now the Deputy
Assistant United States Trade Representative for China Enforcement. They are
joined on the task force by veteran USTR staffers specializing in intellectual
property rights, industrial policies, agriculture, services, investment, WTO
affairs and textiles, among others.
"China is now a mature trading partner, and must live up to its obligations,
particularly in the areas of market access and intellectual property rights
enforcement," Portman said. "We are ready to use all of the tools available to
us to achieve our objectives. That is why we are putting together a top notch
team to strengthen our ability to enforce China’s international and bilateral
trade obligations."
"Steve and Terry bring a wealth of proven experience in WTO litigation and
U.S.-China trade negotiations, and I am pleased that they will be leading the
new task force," said Ambassador Portman.
Stephen Kho –
Acting Chief Counsel for China Enforcement
Pending final selection of a Chief Counsel for China Enforcement, Mr. Kho
will be responsible for co-chairing the new China Enforcement Task Force.
For the past year, Mr. Kho has served as the principal attorney on China
trade matters in the General Counsel’s Office at USTR. Previously, he worked for
three years as a legal advisor in USTR’s mission in Geneva, Switzerland, where
he handled dozens of WTO disputes on behalf of the United States.
Mr. Kho is a graduate of the University of Virginia and received a law degree
from the University of Maryland and a masters degree in international legal
studies from Georgetown University.
Mr. Kho speaks Mandarin Chinese.
Terry McCartin –
Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for China Enforcement
Mr. McCartin will be responsible for co-chairing the new China Enforcement
Task Force.
Mr. McCartin joined USTR’s Office of China Affairs in 2001, shortly before
China acceded to the WTO. He has served as the Senior Director of Monitoring and
Enforcement for China, chairing an interagency committee charged with monitoring
China’s efforts to implement its WTO commitments while also overseeing U.S.
participation in annual reviews of China at the WTO. He was part of the USTR
team that brought and then successfully settled the first WTO case against China
in 2004. Previously, he worked in the General Counsel’s Office at the U.S.
Department of Commerce, where he was a member of the U.S. team negotiating the
terms of China’s accession to the WTO. He also represented the United States in
three WTO disputes.
Mr. McCartin graduated from Stanford University and received a law degree
from Georgetown University.
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