The White House is set to announce new China tariffs as soon as next week, with a levy on electric vehicles and other clean energy goods.
The full announcement is expected on Tuesday and will target solar goods, critical minerals, and batteries from China, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. The Biden administration has invested in these industries domestically. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Chinese electric vehicles currently face a 25% tariff, and the administration is expected to raise that as much as 100% in order to make it more expensive to buy the product from China. The new tariffs are not expected to include traditional gasoline-powered cars that are made in China.
The new tariffs are also expected to include new levies on semiconductors, which Biden has worked to boost domestically. Lawmakers passed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, which includes grants and other incentives for chip makers.
The tariff update comes after lawmakers on Capitol Hill have called for hikes on Chinese vehicle tariffs. Sen. Sherrod Brown (R-OH), the Banking Committee chairman, has called on the Biden administration to ban Chinese electric vehicles completely due to privacy concerns about people’s data.
The Biden administration has considered adjusting the Trump-era tariffs, with some advisers calling for higher levies while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has made the case to lower duties on consumer goods. Yellen is expected to head to the G7 Finance Ministers meeting in Italy later this month, where the U.S. hopes to influence other countries to join the tariff fight, to ratchet up pressure on China, according to reporting from NBC News.
The White House has kept all the existing tariffs from former President Donald Trump in place, who imposed some $300 billion in tariffs at U.S. ports of entry. Trump has said he would consider a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports if he is elected in November. In March, Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on cars made in Mexico by Chinese companies.
In announcing the new round of tariffs, Biden is looking to demonstrate his push to safeguard manufacturing in the U.S. ahead of the November election. In a speech to United Steelworkers union members in Pittsburgh last month, Biden said he wanted to raise tariffs on imports of Chinese aluminum and steel, pointing out that thousands of steelworkers in the area lost their jobs between 2000 and 2010.
“I promise you that I’m not going to let that happen again,” he said.
Biden has attempted to contrast his tariffs as “strategic and targeted” while claiming Trump’s tariffs have raised costs for U.S. consumers. Both candidates have been attempting to appeal to voters across manufacturing-heavy swing states in the Midwest.
The trade moves are weighing on U.S.-China relations. The two superpowers have spent months trying to stabilize diplomatic relations after years of acrimony over Taiwan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and access to advanced technology. China has invested in clean-energy production in an effort to strengthen its economy.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the Biden administration’s planned tariffs on Friday, saying existing tariffs have disrupted trade.
“China will take all necessary measures to defend its rights and interest,” the spokesman said.