Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the House Ways & Means trade subcommittee, this week held his first round of private "trade policy roundtables" with stakeholders, which began with a May 22 meeting focused on international trade in services, according to a May 16 memo obtained by Inside U.S. Trade.

While much of the attention in Geneva is focused on delivering a package of agreements at the next World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Indonesia in December -- and on whether and how to revive the Doha round after that -- incoming WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo will also face lower-profile challenges once he assumes his post, including whom to select as his deputies and how to deal with low staff morale within the secretariat.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro assumed leadership of USTR on an acting basis this week when former Acting USTR Demetrios Marantis vacated that post, a spokeswoman said.

The European Union is preparing to impose provisional antidumping (AD) duties averaging about 50 percent on Chinese solar panels and key components by June 5, according to sources close to the proceedings. The step would significantly penalize Chinese exporters but could also be a first step toward a negotiated settlement between the EU and China that could ultimately involve the United States as well.

LIMA -- The Japanese government has urged the United States and other countries participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks to delay an expected July negotiating round until Tokyo can formally join the negotiations at the end of that month, according to Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Barbara Weisel.

LIMA -- U.S. and foreign industry representatives pressing for trade liberalization in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) this week publicly aired their frustrations over the way in which the United States is conducting its market access negotiations on goods on the basis of bilateral offers, arguing that this approach could result in a maze of bilateral deals that is confusing and of little value to businesses.