The U.S. sold about $20 million worth of peanuts to Japanese importers last year, but the American Peanut Council expects that American farmers will be able to sell a lot more in the coming years now that they have a tariff advantage over the Chinese.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday beseeched U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to reveal when the Biden administration will engage with Congress to re-establish Trade Promotion Authority – legislation key to negotiating new free trade agreement - but they did not get an answer.

Lawmakers, lobbyists and farm groups are anxious for the Biden administration to take its first concrete steps to begin negotiating international trade agreements and reform at the World Trade Organization to improve international access for U.S. goods as well as rein in China’s expanding global influence.

Mexico’s Supreme Court refused last week for the second time in six weeks to make a ruling that could allow substantial new access to the Mexican market worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually for U.S. potatoes, fueling Mexican farmers' determination to continue their fight against the trade.

The Biden administration is seeking to avoid the practice of creating winners and losers as it tries to expand international trade, Katherine Tai, the nominee to be the next U.S. Trade Representative, told senators Thursday.

China is celebrating the signing of what will be the world’s largest trade pact, which includes 15 countries representing 30% of global GDP, pushing international trade to the forefront as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in January.

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s pick as his Democratic running mate, has gone on record opposing new trade agreements, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and has taken up the interest of farmworkers during her short tenure in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are scheduled to begin two days of talks on a free trade agreement in Washington Monday, U.S. government officials tell Agri-Pulse.