The Biden Administration has announced increased tariffs on electric vehicles and other products imported from China, a move prompted by the findings of the four-year statutory review of the Section 301 tariffs first imposed by the Trump Administration.
On May 23, WITA and the Asia Society Policy Institute hosted an event to look at the new 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, and what that may mean for the U.S. and global EV manufacturing and markets.
Featured Speakers:
John Bozzella, President and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation
Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) Washington, DC Office; former Acting Deputy United States Trade Representative
Michael Dunne, CEO, Dunne Insights LLC; author of the upcoming book: The Great Car Takeover: China’s Master Plan to Dominate Electric Car Markets Worldwide
Everett Eissenstat, Partner, Public Policy Practice Group, Squire Patton Boggs; former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, The White House
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director of European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
Moderator: Jordan Schneider, Founder, ChinaTalk Podcast and Newsletter; Adjunct Fellow, Technology and National Security Program, Center for a New American Security
Speaker Biographies:
John Bozzella, a veteran auto industry executive, is President and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators). From 2014 until the establishment of Auto Innovators in January 2020, he served as President and CEO of the Association of Global Automakers, the trade association whose members included the U.S operations of international automobile and light-duty truck manufacturers that sold products in the United States.
Previously, John served as a Senior Operating Executive for Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company, LLC, where he worked with the firm and its portfolio companies on a range of public policy and economic development matters. He served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy at Chrysler Group in 2009, and Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy for Chrysler LLC from 2007 to 2009. In this capacity, he mobilized government support to significantly restructure Chrysler.
At Chrysler, John worked closely with the federal government and other automakers on a substantially advanced technology vehicle loan program and on the development of new fuel economy standards. In addition, he worked with state governments to gain funding for restructuring, training, and development.
From 2005 to 2007, John spent two years with DaimlerChrysler Corporation as Vice President of External Affairs and Public Policy for the Americas. John was with Ford Motor Company from 1994 to 2005 in positions in public policy, and government and community relations, and labor relations.
Prior to joining the automotive industry, John served as New York City’s director of state legislative affairs under Mayor David N. Dinkins. He began his career in public policy as the Director of Legislative and Political Action for the United Federation of Teachers. John is a graduate of Cornell University.
Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Washington, D.C. office. In these roles, she focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.
Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights LLC. He is also an entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the upcoming book: Humiliation No More: China’s Master Plan to Dominate Electric Car Markets Worldwide. In 2018, Dunne founded ZoZoGo to deliver world-class advisory services on global electric and autonomous vehicle markets. Company leaders in the United States, Europe and Asia engage Dunne for expert knowledge, keynote talks and board level briefings.
Everett Eissenstat is Partner of the Public Policy Practice Group at Squire Patton Boggs. He is one of the nation’s foremost global trade experts having served in senior positions in Congress, Office of the United States Trade Representative, The White House, and a Fortune 50 company. He helps clients manage and mitigate geopolitical risk, influence international economic policy-making, and develop and execute successful international trade and investment strategies.
During a distinguished government career spanning over two decades, Everett served as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. Reporting to the President, the National Security Advisor, and the Director of the National Economic Council, he coordinated interagency policy development and implementation on international economic policy matters. Previously, he also held key roles in the US House, Senate, and the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), including as the Chief International Trade Counsel to the Chairman of the US Senate Finance Committee (2011-2017), and as Assistant US Trade Representative for the Americas (2006-2011), Everett led negotiations of multiple comprehensive bilateral free trade agreements.
Everett also served as Legislative Director for Rep. Jim Kolbe, where he advised the Congressman on international trade matters, appropriations, and foreign affairs. He was also Senior Vice President at a multinational automotive manufacturer (2018 – 2021) reporting to the CEO and managing over 100 public policy professionals worldwide. He helped navigate a range of challenges including labor relations, supply chain disruptions and the regulatory and compliance implications of transitioning from internal combustible engines to electric vehicles.
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama is the Director of European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a leading author on trade diplomacy, EU-Far East relations and the digital economy.
He is regularly consulted by governments and international organisations on a range of issues, from trade negotiations to economic reforms. He appears regularly in European, Chinese and US media, and is noted for his involvement in WTO and major free trade agreements. He was also named “One of the 20 most influential people for open internet” by the readers of the Guardian UK in 2012. He was the first author to argue for a WTO case on internet censorship in China.
Prior to joining ECIPE, he was an independent counsel on regulatory affairs, competition and communication, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representative of Sweden and the EU member states towards the WTO and the UN, including WIPO and UNECE. Lee-Makiyama is also a Fellow at the department of International Relations at the London School of Economics, and currently shares his time between LSE and ECIPE.
Jordan Schneider is the Founder of ChinaTalk Podcast and Newsletter and an Adjunct Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Formerly, he was a China technology analyst at The Rhodium Group. He previously worked for Bridgewater and the Eurasia Group. Jordan received a master’s degree in economics from Peking University’s Yenching Academy and a BA in history from Yale. His research has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Wired, and Lawfare. He is proficient in Chinese.
Ken Levinson serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) and Washington International Trade Foundation.
WITA is the world’s largest non-profit, non-partisan membership organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and economic issues. WITA and its affiliated groups have over 10,000 members, and more than 160 corporate sponsors and group memberships.
Ken has over 30 years of experience working with companies, associations, NGOs and governments, advocating innovative solutions to complex public policy challenges. Over the years, Ken has worked with clients in the technology, telecommunications, biopharmaceuticals, agriculture and food, financial services, retail, apparel, energy, and consumer products sectors.
Previously, Ken served as Senior Director for Global Government Affairs for AstraZeneca. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Ken served as Senior Vice President and COO at the Washington, DC consulting firm of Fontheim International. Ken joined Fontheim after spending six years on the staff of U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV. Ken advised the Senator on foreign policy and national security matters, and served as the Senator’s chief advisor on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, dealing with issues related to international trade and tax policy.
Ken received his Master’s Degree from New York University after doing his undergraduate work at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. Ken also spent a year studying at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ken and his wife, the Reverend Donna Marsh, live in Bethesda, MD, with their two daughters.