Beijing. The Chinese government rejected this Thursday the threats of the president of the United States, Joe Biden, to seek to triple tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from the Asian country, under the excuse of unfair competition and accusing it of “cheating” in the steel sector.
“I would like to ask him (Biden): are you talking about China or the United States?” commented Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Asian giant’s foreign ministry during a regular press conference, referring to the measures that Washington applies against Beijing that incurs damages to its foreign trade and national economy.
The president charged that “Chinese steel companies do not need to worry about making profits because the Chinese government is subsidizing them.” “They are not competing, they are cheating,” he launched during a campaign event in Pennsylvania, which is key for next November’s elections.
Biden asked the Trade Representative to triple the current tariffs of 7.5 percent on average, imposed on some of the Chinese steel and aluminum imported by the United States. Thus, he denied that he is seeking a trade war: “I don’t want a confrontation with China, but rather fair competition.”
Spokesman Lin assured that “in general terms we have been asking the United States to seriously respect the principle of fair competition, respect the rules of the World Trade Organization and immediately lift all trade protectionist measures against China.”
“China will do whatever is necessary to safeguard its legitimate rights,” the official said.
The Biden administration “cited growing concerns that China’s unfair trade practices, such as flooding the market with steel sold below cost, are distorting the global shipbuilding market and eroding competition,” the report reported. White House in a statement.
Former Republican president Donald Trump has also promised during his campaign to substantially raise tariffs if he wins against his Democratic rival.
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– 2024-04-24 17:12:45
