Biden, if elected, would consult his allies on the future of US tariffs on China: advisers

WASHINGTON: Democrat Joe Biden would immediately consult with top US allies before deciding on the future of US tariffs on China, seeking “collective influence” to strengthen his position against Beijing if elected president, top aides said from Biden on Wednesday (Oct 28). .

In an interview with Reuters six days before the presidential election, Biden’s two advisers said the starting point would be not to repeat President Donald Trump’s mistakes when he imposed tariffs on European and Canadian products as part of his “States” agenda. United first. ” antagonize key US partners.

“The failure of the Trump administration has been to go it alone. And that has given China an escape route,” said Jeffrey Prescott, a former senior foreign policy official in the Obama administration.

Advisers declined to say whether the Democratic presidential candidate, if elected, would be inclined to lift the massive tariffs on China that Trump has used to fuel a trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

“He’s not going to be left in a premature position before we see exactly what we inherited,” Prescott said. “But consulting with the allies will be a central part of that.”

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The bitter trade dispute is just one of the main sources of tension between Washington and Beijing, whose relations have sunk to the lowest point in decades over a variety of issues, including the coronavirus, Hong Kong, theft of intellectual property, rights. humans, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

China has been a central foreign policy focus in the 2020 presidential campaign. At political rallies, Trump has often claimed that Biden would take a softer approach to China.

Biden has responded by saying that he would be tougher on China than Trump and that he would not be afraid to use trade barriers, but only when they make sense. For example, he told the United Steelworkers union in May that tariffs on steel and aluminum would remain in place until a global solution to limit excess production can be negotiated, largely focused on China.

Trump and his aides argue, without evidence, that China itself is paying the US tariffs. Trump says a phase 1 trade deal signed with China in January was a big step forward, but experts say total purchases of US goods by Beijing will be well below targets set for the deal’s first year.

The series of tiered tariffs the Trump administration imposed on $ 370 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2018 and 2019 has cost U.S. importers more than $ 60 billion, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. .UU., And credited with the erosion of US manufacturing competitiveness.

But due to the political sensitivity of easing US pressure on China, questions remain about the possibility that Biden will act quickly to cut tariffs if elected.

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Biden’s advisers made it clear that he would want to consult with America’s allies first rather than take unilateral action on trade action like Trump did.

“You can start by not imposing tariffs on Europeans and Canadians and instead working with them on trade,” said Brian McKeon, a former White House and Pentagon adviser to the Obama administration.

An immediate consultation would be needed “to identify areas where we can exert collective influence over China,” Prescott said. “But they have been alienated, they have been insulted by President Trump, and that made our hand with China even weaker than it should be.”