The TRCS Role and Service
IA's central role remains the enforcement of the U.S. antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) laws. However, IA has built upon its law enforcement duties by instituting a variety of import monitoring and subsidies enforcement activities designed to help American industry deal more effectively with a broader range of unfair trade problems. The TRCS is the latest extension of this commitment to provide assistance to U.S. businesses which feel that their trade problems may stem from unfair practices or the improper application of foreign unfair trade laws. Focused initially on our major trading partners in east Asia, the TRCS has in place an ongoing monitoring program which tracks import trends as well as certain government policies, business conditions and company practices. The goal is to help pinpoint and analyze problematic policies and trade trends so that governments have an opportunity to avert unfair trade frictions and prevent harm to U.S. interests. The placement of IA officers overseas gives the TRCS better access to various sources of information with which to more effectively identify and understand these potential unfair trade problems, as well as the ability to immediately address such problems, through discussion with government counterparts and technical assistance.

TRCS Initiatives Under Way
TRCS personnel in Washington and abroad continually develop key information sources and databases to study imports into the United States and evaluate the status and evolution of foreign government policies and market developments that might contribute to unfair trade. On a wider front, TRCS keeps watch on all our trading partners' AD and CVD activity to identify potential difficulties for U.S. exporters and/or conflicts with WTO obligations or basic precepts of transparency and due process. One example of the TRCS's contributions thus far is its monitoring of China's WTO-related subsidies and unfair trade law obligations as part of the U.S. Government's broader efforts to verify Chinese compliance with WTO accession commitments.

Washington D.C.

• For key countries, monitor data on imports into the United States, as well as foreign government policies and economic/business trends that may contribute to unfair trade problems.

• Monitor other countries' development and use of their AD, CVD and other trade remedy statutes.

• Provide information related to the enforcement of U.S. AD/CVD laws to foreign and domestic parties.

Overseas

• Support Washington-based case analysts in matters directly related to the administration of U.S. AD/CVD laws.

• Collect, assess, and confirm information about certain foreign market conditions, trade practices, and governmental policies that would facilitate administration of U.S. unfair trade laws or U.S. monitoring of unfair trade commitments.

• Report on developments in use of foreign unfair trade laws, particularly as they affect U.S. interests.

• Actively assist countries to meet WTO obligations, through discussion and technical assistance.