Wednesday, July 22, 2026
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams Webinar

The next Office of Advocacy international trade roundtable will be held virtually on July 22, 2026, at 2 PM EST on the Microsoft Teams platform. The discussion will focus on the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) recent request for comments from interested parties to inform the development of negotiations with China aimed at optimizing bilateral trade in non-sensitive products in order to promote reciprocity and balance in the U.S.-China trade relationship.

Small businesses account for 98 percent of all U.S. exporting entities and roughly two-thirds of all U.S. exports. However, less than one percent of small businesses export, and, like businesses of all sizes, small businesses exports to China represent less than ten percent of total small business exports.

The Office of Advocacy wants to hear from small businesses about the barriers they face in selling their goods in China.

Please register HERE and provide the information requested to receive a Teams link.

AGENDA

• Welcome and Introduction
  • Alexander C. Bean, Assistant Advocate, SBA Office of Advocacy
• Overview of USTR’s Request for Comment Comments on the Scope and Operation of a Mechanism To Promote Reciprocal Managed Trade With China
• Small Business Barries to Selling Goods in China
  • Facilitated Discussion – SBA Office of Advocacy
• Open Discussion
• Adjourn                                                                                                           

* SBA Advocacy is an office responsible for advancing the views of small businesses in regulatory policy across the federal government. We conduct roundtables to hear the experiences, challenges, and recommendations of small businesses, and identify alternative approaches for policy development at federal regulatory agencies. Our roundtables are largely held online, to facilitate the attendance of stakeholders from a diverse range of backgrounds, industries, and geographic regions.

** Roundtable meetings are open to all interested persons and are intended to facilitate an open and frank discussion about issues of interest to small business. These meetings are off the record and not intended for press purposes. Direct quotations of presenters or attendees may not be used without direct written approval of the person(s) making the statement. All press inquiries should be sent to chandler.baxter@sba.gov. Agendas and presentations are available to all. If you need accommodations for a disability to participate in the roundtable, please contact Alexander Bean for assistance.

Should you have any questions or require further information, please contact Assistant Advocate, Alexander C. Bean, at alexander.bean@sba.gov

Visit https://advocacy.sba.gov/category/regulation/regulatory-alerts/ to comment on important proposed regulations.

Topics Summary

On June 5, 2026, USTR published a request for information (RFI) to inform the design of the U.S.-China Board of Trade — a new government-to-government mechanism announced during President Trump’s May 2026 visit to Beijing. The mechanism is intended to identify non-sensitive products on both sides where tariffs can be mutually reduced to promote balance and reciprocity in U.S.-China trade.

USTR’s RFI builds upon the trade framework agreed to by Presidents Trump and Xi in Busan and further developed through negotiations in Paris, Seoul, and Beijing. The U.S. trade goods deficit with China fell approximately 32% year-over-year to $202 billion in 2025 — the lowest since 2004 — and was down 46% year-over-year as of March 2026. The new mechanism aims to sustain and deepen this progress by identifying product-specific tariff modifications and establishing a formal Board of Trade to monitor outcomes.

USTR is seeking comments on the following areas:

• Which Chinese products are “non-sensitive” and could see U.S. tariff reductions to MFN rates.
• Which U.S. products facing Chinese tariffs above MFN rates should receive relief, with priority on agriculture, declining industrial exports, and products China still needs from the U.S.
• Who would benefit or be harmed by specific tariff modifications.
• How the U.S.-China Board of Trade should be structured, how often it should convene, and how trade data should be shared.

Comments are due July 10, 2026. Rebuttals are due July 27, 2026. Comments should be submitted via the USTR portal at https://comments.ustr.gov/s/ using docket number USTR-2026-0430.