Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States

This Report is the first to implement the intensified evaluation provisions of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (the "Act"). The provisions of the Act provide the United States with valuable new reporting and monitoring tools, as well as new measures to address unfair currency practices. The Act establishes a process to monitor key indicators related to foreign exchange operations, engage economies that may be pursuing unfair practices, and impose meaningful penalties on economies that fail to adopt appropriate policies. The legislation accomplishes these important goals in a way that is consistent with our international obligations. The new reporting and monitoring tools designed under the Act significantly enhance Treasury's ability to undertake a data-driven, objective analysis of an economy's foreign exchange policies and their impact on bilateral trade with the United States and the broader multilateral trade position. The Act sets up a process in which Treasury delineates clear, objective criteria -- based on relevant economic indicators -- to determine whether an economy may be pursuing foreign exchange policies that could give it an unfair competitive advantage against the United States.