Katherine C. Tai JD ’01 — What Would a Rational and Effective U.S.-China Trade Policy Look Like? Is One Still Possible?

12:20-1:20 PM. Ambassador Katherine C. Tai JD ’01 served as the 19th United States Trade Representative. As a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, Ambassador Tai was the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy from March 2021 to January 2025. Prior to her unanimous Senate confirmation, Ambassador Tai spent nearly 2 decades in public service focusing on crafting, monitoring, and enforcing U.S. and international trade laws. She previously served the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives as Chief Trade Counsel and Trade Subcommittee Staff Director. She is also an experienced WTO litigator. From 2007 to 2014, Ambassador Tai developed and tried cases for USTR, eventually becoming the agency’s Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement. Ambassador Tai graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. She began her career practicing law in the private sector, clerking for federal judges in the Districts of Columbia and Maryland, and teaching English in Guangzhou, China.