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The Washington Post published an op-ed Thursday warning that President Biden’s consideration of lifting President Trump’s China tariffs would be a grave mistake.
The article, titled “Biden could be on the verge of making a mistake with China,” warned that abandoning Trump’s China tariffs would be “irresponsible” and a “big political loser” for the Biden administration.
“The goal of President Biden’s five-day trip to South Korea and Japan is to show that the United States is committed to the region and standing up to China,” wrote columnist Josh Rogin.
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U.S. President Joe Biden listens as he virtually meets with Xi Jinping, President of China, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Monday, November 15, 2021. (Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“But some US officials and business interests are calling on Biden to make a huge, undeserved economic concession on Beijing, claiming it will help the US economy. Such a move would be a mistake politically, economically and for US-China relations,” Rogin continued. “Given the dire impact of price hikes on Biden’s poll numbers at home, it’s no wonder the President is looking at ways to address the inflation crisis.”
Rogin said the Biden administration is under pressure from Treasury Department officials, Wall Street and the business community to lift the tariffs. But national security officials fear it would give too much leverage to China.
“The struggle over internal governance has now gone public, with the Treasury Department supporting lifting some tariffs and sections of the National Security Council and Office of the US Trade Representative opposing. Biden is expected to make a decision soon.”
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U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One Friday, May 20, 2022 upon his arrival at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)
Rogin writes that Trump’s tariffs are not a cause of inflation, citing data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“The struggle over internal governance has now gone public, with the Treasury Department supporting lifting some tariffs and sections of the National Security Council and Office of the US Trade Representative opposing. Biden is expected to decide soon,” he wrote. “Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis supports the argument that removing some of these tariffs would have little, if any, measurable impact on inflation. The benefits to consumers are illusory.”
As Biden goes to Asia to boost economic ties with countries in the region, Rogin says Biden’s lifting of tariffs on China is now “sending exactly the wrong message to the region at exactly the wrong time.”
Rogin equates lifting tariffs on China with “surrendering to China’s unfair economic practices.”
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Rogin slammed Biden for possibly “breaking his earlier promise not to unilaterally lift the tariffs unless China’s behavior improved.”
“While China’s economy struggles under the unpredictable policies of its dictatorial government, Washington should be helping US companies get out of China, not helping them get in. We should do more to counter China’s economic aggression, not less,” he wrote. “The good news: There’s still time for Biden to avoid this penny-wise, pound-stupid idea.”