Katherine Tai is the new U.S. Trade Representative.
CNBC Dot Com says Tai, a critic of Chinese trade practices, was confirmed by a Senate vote of 98-0.
She’s the first Asian American woman and the first woman of color to fill the USTR spot since the position was created 60 years ago.
Her confirmation comes as the Biden Administration attempts to move away from the previous administration’s more belligerent tone in dealing with China while also taking a tough U.S. stance against the rival economic power.
Several times between 2007 and 2014, Tai successfully argued the U.S. case against China’s trade practices before the World Trade Organization.
“There’s also a lot of gray areas where the rules aren’t as clear, or where we don’t have rules yet,” she said last month.
Tai also wants the U.S. to work together with other countries to confront China on its trade policies.
When testifying before the Senate Finance Committee in February, Tai said she wanted to hold China to its Phase One commitments in the agreement negotiated by the Trump administration.
While her predecessor, Robert Lighthizer, used tariffs against China, Tai didn’t say she’d add any additional duties on Chinese goods but did say there are “legitimate tools in the trade toolbox.”
