The White House is calling for the international community to enact higher import taxes on Chinese steel in response to that country's export subsidies – a policy proposal designed to assist industry-heavy states like Michigan.
China has become the U.S.’s top trade adversary and President Joe Biden’s administration says that is largely because the Chinese government won’t play by international export rules.
The Biden administration says higher tariffs will offset Chinese subsidies that makes its steel less expensive on the world market. White House senior advisor Gene Sperling said China’s subsidies cost jobs and business in manufacturing centers like Michigan.
“Not because they’re making a better product at higher quality, but because their government is subsidizing them so much that they can artificially lower prices,” he told Michigan Public Radio. “What China has said is the way we’re going to grow is through exports. We’re going to just sell so much to other countries including the United States that that is what we’re going to use to juice up our economy.”
Sperling said the steel market is just one area where the administration is calling for an international response to Chinese trade practices.
“They are clearly doing this with electric vehicles too and there’s no question that we are going to have to take action in that area as well, but that’s to come,” he said.
