Ep. 34: Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge - Plan B Tariffs, Section 301 Investigations & the ARTs of the Deals

In the latest episode of the Friday Exchange, our trade insiders break down the shifting landscape of U.S. tariff policy and the new Section 301 investigations announced by the Trump Administration. The panel explores whether the administration’s flurry of new Section 301 investigations targeting excess capacity across 16 countries and expanding forced labor concerns represents a strategic “wink wink, nudge nudge” plan B to rebuild the tariff framework and reopen negotiations with trading partners. The conversation also looks at cautious reactions from Asia and Europe, the delicate balance of stabilizing tariffs with China while scrutinizing other partners for unfair trade practices, and how these investigations could serve double as opportunities to refine tariff levels, and shape the next phase of U.S. trade policy ahead of the upcoming U.S.–China summit.Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade RepresentativePeter Harrell, Visiting Scholar, Georgetown Institute for International Economic Law; former Senior Director, International Economics, at the White House under President BidenDaniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle EastMark Linscott, former Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia and before that WTO and Multilateral Affairs and currently a Senior Advisor at the Asia Group and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum