After one year in office, President Joe Biden declared Jan. 19, that he was still not ready to lift the tariffs Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods, Global Times Voice reported Jan. 20. Biden’s response was that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is “working on that right now.” These tariffs have not benefitted the U.S. economy, says Global Times — but instead hurt businesses and consumers; American imports from China have continued to rise. Trade between China and America rose by 28.7% and amounted to $755.6 billion in 2021, as China’s surplus with the United States reached a record $396.5 billion, according to Chinese customs data. The United States responds to tariffs by raising the prices of imported goods, which ultimately increase consumer prices, putting an extra burden on American companies and low-income households
Judging that the Biden Administration still wants to continue the Trump tariffs to have “leverage” against China, Global Times reports that the United States repeatedly blames China for failing to meet the targets under the 2019 phase-one trade agreement, but that sanctions on high-tech trade with Chinese companies contravene the spirit of that phase-one deal. It notes that U.S. inflation is “skyrocketing; the Consumer Price Index rose 7% year-on-year in December, the seventh consecutive month where inflation topped 5%–the fastest pace in decades.”
