WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate plans to vote next week on legislation to crack down on China’s currency practices, despite concerns of some policymakers that could heighten trade tensions and further threaten global economic growth.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he planned to bring up the legislation next week when lawmakers return from a break.

“I don’t think there is anything more important (as a) jobs measure than China trade. That is what we are going to work on next week,” Reid told reporters on Monday, saying the measure had support from both Republicans and Democrats.

“I feel very confident that we are going to pass it,” Reid said.

The Obama administration has so far declined to comment on the bill, which Senators Charles Schumer, Sherrod Brown and other Democrats and Republicans unveiled last week.

The lawmakers argued China’s currency is undervalued by as much as 25 percent to 40 percent against the dollar, giving Chinese companies an unfair price advantage and destroying millions of American jobs.

China rejects the criticism and last week a Chinese foreign ministry official urged the United States to “not politicize the renminbi’s exchange rate because of U.S. domestic economic problems.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is pressing China and other Asia Pacific economies to agree at a leaders meeting in November to reduce tariffs and other barriers to trade in environmental goods like wind turbines and solar panels, a U.S. official said on Monday.

“This is an issue that APEC has been talking about for a number of years and this year we’re trying to actually see if we can get economies to commit to liberalize their regime,” Wendy Cutler, assistant U.S. trade representative for Japan, Korea and APEC affairs, told Reuters.

“APEC economies, according to our statistics, account for 60 percent of trade in this sector. It’s a natural sector, with lots of commercial benefits, environmental benefits, economic benefits, for these economies to focus on,” Cutler said.

She and Kurt Tong, the senior U.S. official for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, spoke by telephone from San Francisco, where representatives from the 21 member economies wrapped up about 10 days of talks in preparation for the upcoming summit in Honolulu.

Proposals to reduce barriers to trade in environmental goods and services such oil remediation, water treatment and sewage treatment have kicked around international forums for years, but no real talks have begun.

“We’re trying to get the APEC economies to recognize that trade liberalization in this sector is important and then work together to see what we could do to provide momentum to getting economies to reduce their tariffs, eliminate their tariffs and get rid of non-tariff measures,” Cutler said.

She emphasized, however, that APEC itself is not a negotiating forum so talks on reducing the trade barriers would happen elsewhere. She was not specific, but a push from APEC members could lead to negotiations on an environmental goods and services pact within the World Trade Organization.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate on Thursday handed President Barack Obama a victory by passing a program to help workers displaced by foreign competition, paving the way for action on three long-delayed trade deals.

The Senate voted to approve a bill containing a revamped Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which Obama has demanded as his price for sending free trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to Congress.

“Today’s vote is a major victory for American workers and a key step forward in our efforts to approve the job-creating free trade agreements,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell urged Obama to now show some “trust” in Republicans by submitting the agreements to Congress before the House of Representatives has voted on the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill.

“The Senate today will have acted on trust in passing TAA even before we received the agreements. But the White House has refused to show the same trust in Congressional Republicans who’ve assured them that TAA will move along with the FTAs (Free Trade Agreements), McConnell said on the Senate floor.

The retraining and income assistance program dates back to 1962 and was expanded in the 2009 stimulus bill to cover more workers and provide more generous health insurance benefits.

However, the expanded provisions expired at the beginning of this year and Republicans bent on reducing government spending balked at renewing them, setting up a fight with Obama and congressional Democrats.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday predicted the Senate would overwhelmingly pass a bill next month to crack down on China currency practices they blame for millions of lost American jobs.

“When countries like China manipulate their currencies, that’s not competing. That’s cheating,” Senator Sherrod Brown told reporters at a news conference to unveil the bill.

The legislation combines two earlier bipartisan measures — one championed by Democratic Senator Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham; the other by Brown, a Democrat, and Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican.

Schumer said he expected the legislation to pass “resoundingly” early in October when lawmakers return from a break.

The legislation is certain to increase tensions with China, although it would have a long road to travel before becoming law. Policymakers are already worried Europe’s debt crisis could undermine global growth; a trade war would be further trouble.

Key Republicans in the House of Representatives have indicated a go-slow approach to the China currency issue, and Schumer acknowledged President Barack Obama does not support the bill.

The bill’s sponsors, which include Republican senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Burr and Democratic senators Robert Casey and Debbie Stabenow, argued an undervalued Chinese currency had created an unfair trade playing field for U.S. producers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate appeared set to approve on Thursday a program to help workers displaced by foreign competition, which business groups hope will pave the way for action on three long-delayed trade deals.

The Senate is expected to pass a revamped Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which President Barack Obama has demanded before sending free trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to Congress for votes.

“This program ensures that our workers are not demoralized by unemployment, but that they are energized by the hope of again standing on their own two feet,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat, said earlier this week during debate on the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate would finish its work on the legislation on Thursday.

If senators were to unexpectedly reject TAA, it would derail efforts to approve the trade pacts next month. But supporters said they were optimistic it would pass.

The retraining and income assistance program dates back to 1962 and was expanded in the 2009 stimulus bill to cover more workers and provide more generous health insurance benefits.

However, the expanded provisions expired at the beginning of this year and Republicans bent on reducing government spending balked at renewing them, setting up a fight with Obama and congressional Democrats.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Legislation aimed at pressing China to let its yuan currency rise has been propelled to the top of the U.S. Senate’s agenda by concern about manufacturing job losses and anxiety about impending votes on three free-trade agreements.

Chances look good the Democratic-controlled Senate will soon pass a currency bill with support from Republicans, less than one year after it killed a similar measure that had passed the House of Representatives on a 348-79 vote.

At a time when Congress is deeply unpopular with the American public, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has embraced a get-tough-with-Beijing stance as part his jobs agenda even if it is not on President Barack Obama’s, promising a swift vote to pressure China to let its yuan currency rise in value.

“The first major jobs bill we’re going to have is (to) send a message to the Chinese, where we’ve lost 2.8 million jobs during the last eight years, and that is we’re going to do something about Chinese currency. And we’re going to do that quickly,” Reid said on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in both parties have complained for years that China’s currency is significantly undervalued against the dollar, making it hard for many U.S. companies to compete against cheaper Chinese products.

Long-time proponents of legislation that would allow the U.S. Commerce Department to slap duties on goods from countries with “undervalued” currencies are cautiously optimistic both chambers will pass a bill this time around.

That would force Obama, who has yet to take a stance on the issue, to decide whether or not to sign the measure. He has already been accused by at least one Republican presidential candidate — Mitt Romney — of failing to act aggressively to level the trade playing field with Beijing.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Legislation aimed at pressing China to let its yuan currency rise has been propelled to the top of the U.S. Senate’s agenda by concern about manufacturing job losses and anxiety about impending votes on three free-trade agreements.

Chances look good the Democratic-controlled Senate will soon pass a currency bill with support from Republicans, less than one year after it killed a similar measure that had passed the House of Representatives on a 348-79 vote.

At a time when Congress is deeply unpopular with the American public, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has embraced a get-tough-with-Beijing stance as part his jobs agenda even if it is not on President Barack Obama’s, promising a swift vote to pressure China to let its yuan currency rise in value.

“The first major jobs bill we’re going to have is (to) send a message to the Chinese, where we’ve lost 2.8 million jobs during the last eight years, and that is we’re going to do something about Chinese currency. And we’re going to do that quickly,” Reid said on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in both parties have complained for years that China’s currency is significantly undervalued against the dollar, making it hard for many U.S. companies to compete against cheaper Chinese products.

Long-time proponents of legislation that would allow the U.S. Commerce Department to slap duties on goods from countries with “undervalued” currencies are cautiously optimistic both chambers will pass a bill this time around.

That would force Obama, who has yet to take a stance on the issue, to decide whether or not to sign the measure. He has already been accused by at least one Republican presidential candidate — Mitt Romney — of failing to act aggressively to level the trade playing field with Beijing.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats banded together on Tuesday to reject a Republican amendment that would give President Barack Obama “trade promotion authority” to negotiate new market-opening agreements.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell offered the measure because he said it was vital for U.S. job creation.

“Without trade promotion authority, there will be no other trade agreements. We all know that,” McConnell said.

“And that’s why I’ve been a strong advocate for granting this president the same trade promotion authority that every other president has enjoyed since 1974.”

The measure failed on a vote of 55-45.

Obama has not asked for trade promotion authority, which expired in 2007 and also is known as “fast track” because it puts trade pacts on a quick path to congressional approval.

An administration official said Obama will seek the authority “at an appropriate time,” but pursuing the measure now would slow down action on South Korea, Colombia and Panama trade deals expected to go to Congress in coming weeks.

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The United States said on Tuesday it was challenging steep Chinese duties on U.S. poultry products that Beijing imposed after the United States raised barriers to imports of Chinese chickens and tires.

“Today’s action pertains to what we believe is China’s wrongful imposition of trade remedies against U.S. chicken products,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.

“It’s a case that has implications for an estimated 300,000 American farmers and workers throughout the U.S. poultry supply chain,” Kirk told reporters at a briefing to announce the start of action at World Trade Organization.

The Chinese duties range from about 54 to 65 percent on U.S. exporters Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Tyson Foods (TSN.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Keystone Foods and about 32 other producers.

Another group of companies that did not cooperate in China’s probe face duties of more than 135 percent. They have not been major suppliers to China though.

U.S. producers sold roughly $650 million of poultry to China in 2008 and 2009, but shipments in the first half of this year totaled only $37 million, an industry aide said.

Beijing accuses the U.S. companies of selling in China at below market prices and receiving government subsidies.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate began debate on Monday on a bill that waives tariffs on goods from developing countries in a step toward congressional approval of three long-delayed trade deals.

The Senate voted 84-8 to begin action on legislation to renew the Generalized System of Preferences, which dates back to the early 1970s and waives duties on thousands of goods from poor countries to help spur development.

The lopsided vote clears the way for potentially several days of debate on the legislation, which the House approved earlier this month on a voice vote.

Supporters of free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama hope the Senate action will help set the stage for President Barack Obama to formally submit the pacts to Congress for votes.

“With this vote and subsequent votes in the Senate this week, we will be one step closer to passage of the long-stalled trade agreements with Colombia, (South) Korea and Panama,” the National Foreign Trade Council business group said in a statement.

Each of the trade deals was signed more than four years ago under former Republican President George W. Bush, although Obama has worked over the past year to address Democratic concerns about the pacts.

The White House also has tied the fate of the trade deals to renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a nearly 50-year-old income assistance and retraining program that helps workers displaced by foreign competition.