My Take | Business and politics shouldn’t mix, but anything goes in a US election year
- The Biden administration’s moves against Chinese steel, aluminium, maritime logistics, shipbuilding and even Japan’s Nippon Steel appear well-timed to court union voters
Even in the best of times, a US president from the Democratic Party would have appealed to the unions and resorted to China-bashing in an election year. After all, Joe Biden has long claimed to be the best friend of blue-collar workers.
Add that to the progressively worsening economic war between China and the United States, and it’s a no-brainer to pick on Chinese heavy metal industries.
So it should surprise no one that Biden has announced plans to triple tariffs on steel and aluminium from China.
In an analysis put out by Cornell University, Allen Carlson, an associate professor of government, and a specialist on Chinese foreign policy, said the move had more to do with US domestic politics.
“Presidential election years tend to stir things up in the US-China relationship, even when the two countries are on relatively good terms with each other. 2024 is not such a time,” he said.
“In the past Beijing has tended to take shifts in US policy during election years with a grain of salt. But this year may be different as [President] Xi [Jinping]’s China is in a stronger position than it was before. More importantly, this election cycle promises to be more turbulent than any that has come before it. And China policy will inevitably get drawn into the maelstrom.”