Biden administration to triple tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum

The White House on Wednesday said it was taking the action to protect the U.S. steel manufacturing, and counter China’s anti-competitive measures in the industry. The administration said the measures would help keep artificially cheapened steel products from flooding the U.S. market and driving American manufacturers out of business. The current tariff on Chinese steel is roughly 7.5 percent, according to the White House’s statement. That would put the new tariff at 22.5 percent.

So is the White House only raising tariffs? The Biden administration said it would also be working with Mexico and other countries to close a loophole enabling Chinese companies to evade the tariffs when their products are imported into the United States indirectly. The administration said it would also be investigating China’s foreign trade practices—specifically in the shipbuilding, maritime, and logistics industry. The White House also touted $1.5 billion in investments in so-called “clean” American-made steel, allotted by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, saying it would help boost the American steel industry.

Is this just happening in the steel industry? The Biden administration has raised concerns about China’s abusive trade practices in other industries as well. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen criticized China’s overinvestment in the electric car, lithium battery, and solar energy industries in a speech in Beijing earlier this month. China flooding the market with cheaper products in those industries threatens U.S. businesses and workers, she said.

President Biden earlier this year also sought to crack down on the proliferation of so-called “connected” vehicles in the United States, according to a statement from the White House. Connected vehicles are vehicles that regularly communicate to outside sources via the Internet. The cars could pose a national security risk by monitoring their drivers, their passengers, and U.S. infrastructure through cameras and other means.

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher’s discussion with Katie McCoy on The World and Everything in It podcast about how U.S. lawmakers are finally realizing the national security threat China poses.