During a time when construction companies in America continue to be plagued by a shortage of materials from China, U.S. Trade Chief Katherine Tai has announced plans to engage in direct talks with Chinese leaders on tariff issues.
Speaking before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Tai said she will soon sit down with Chinese Vice Premiere Liu to discuss a wide variety of issues that have set the two countries against each other.
“I am committed to working through the many challenges ahead of us in this bilateral process in order to deliver meaningful results,” Tai remarked, before adding that the U.S. must “defend, to the hilt, our economic interests.”
A heated trade war during the Trump years saw the U.S. imposing increased tariffs of 10% to 25% on a variety of materials, including metal goods, vinyl tile floor coverings, and car parts.
At the same time, China slapped enhanced duties on a variety of U.S. products.
Despite the heated trade issues between the two countries, the U.S. still imported some $710 billion in electrical machinery and equipment from China in 2020, along with $71 billion in iron or steel.
Tai added that she thought it was imperative to “protect ourselves against the waves of damage inflicted over the years through unfair competition.”
Earlier this year, President Biden said he would for the present keep in place the tariffs imposed by Trump on China, pending a full review of trade relations between the two countries.
Tai, who formerly served as chief trade counsel for the House Committee on Ways and Means, said she rejects the notion that the U.S. can “decouple” from China when it comes to trade.
“I think the issue perhaps is, what are the goals we’re looking for in a kind of ‘recoupling,’” she remarked.
By Garry Boulard
