US to ask for public comment on reinstating tariff exclusions on Chinese goods
- New move by Washington suggests the Trump-era hard line on Chinese imports will continue, at least in the short term
- US Trade Representative’s Office says decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis after a 50-day comment period
The step suggests that the Biden administration is not currently moving to take a softer line on trade with China than the previous administration under former president Donald Trump, at least as far as tariffs are concerned.
It came one day after Biden’s top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, said that she was considering such steps. The US Trade Representative’s Office said on Tuesday that each potential reinstatement of a tariff exemption would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
“The exclusions process is a key part of the Biden-Harris administration’s deliberative, long-term vision for realigning the US-China trade relationship around our priorities and making trade work for American workers and businesses,” the office said.
02:18
US trade chief calls for ‘pragmatic approach’ in reveal of China strategy
Washington and Beijing have lobbed tariffs at each other on billions of dollars worth of goods since Trump began the trade war in 2018.
The trade representative’s office said that if it granted any exemptions after the 50-day public comment period, they would apply to the same list of 549 goods that had already received exemptions – which were then extended – during the Trump era. The Trump administration had initially issued more than 2200 exemptions, most of which expired and were not extended.