Tai Again Defends Continued China Tariffs, Murky on Road Ahead

U.S. tariffs levied against Chinese products in 2018 were not “punitive” tariffs, according to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and are not “punishing” China. Tai said the tariffs are just a trade tool. “They can be used in lots of different ways. In some contexts, they are used as sanctions. These are not sanctioning tariffs. The tariffs that were put down in 2018 were really rebalancing tariffs; they are tariffs to try to level the playing field to overcome unfairness that we have seen and the impacts on the U.S. economy.  So that is a legal fact, but that is also a fact with respect to policy.”

Regarding the first talks with Taiwan under the Initiative on 21st Century Trade, Tai said she expects negotiations will take place soon. Tai downplayed the possibility of an “early harvest” of successes under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) following the ministers’ meeting last week.

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