The US needs to wake up its dormant trade policy by ratifying stalled bilateral pacts and eschewing damaging currency legislation to punish China, according to the new senior Republican on the trade issue in the House of Representatives.

Kevin Brady, the Texas congressman who took over last week as chairman of the House ways and means trade subcommittee, told the Financial Times that, four years of foot-dragging in the Democratic-controlled House had left the US falling behind other countries on trade and tax reform.

Mr Brady also said he would not pursue legislation allowing the US to restrict Chinese imports because that would undervalue its currency. “Mr Camp doesn’t see us moving that currency legislation and I certainly don’t either,” he said, referring to Dave Camp, chairman of the full ways and means committee.