Biden announces new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles (2024)

Flanked by union members, President Biden signs orders that increase tariffs on imports of electric vehicles and other strategic goods from China. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Biden announces new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles (2)

Flanked by union members, President Biden signs orders that increase tariffs on imports of electric vehicles and other strategic goods from China.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Biden slapped tariffs on $18 billion of imports of goods from China including electric vehicles, semiconductors and medical products to protect U.S. workers and companies in the strategic sectors and punish China for unfair trade practices.

Biden is also keeping in place the tariffs that former President Donald Trump had placed on more than $300 billion of imports from China.

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Biden said the move would keep heavily subsidized Chinese products from rolling over domestic industries he is hoping to foster.

"Folks, look: I'm determined that the future of electric vehicles will be made in America, by union workers, period," Biden said.

The new tariffs come as Biden pushes forward to implement three pieces of legislation that contain hundreds of billions of subsidies to boost the domestic manufacturing and clean energy sectors — and ahead of a presidential election where trade and jobs will again be an issue.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai delivers remarks during a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 2023. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images hide caption

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Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Biden announces new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles (5)

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai delivers remarks during a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 2023.

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

"We know China's unfair practices have harmed communities in Michigan and Pennsylvania and around the country that are now having the opportunity to come back due to President Biden's investment agenda," Lael Brainard, Biden's top economic adviser, told reporters.

Here's a list of the new tariffs

Most of the new tariffs cover items that the Biden administration has sought to have made in America through investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told Morning Edition that China heavily subsidizes its electric vehicle industry, leading to prices so low that American manufacturers could "really be crushed by what has been produced by these anti-competitive practices in Beijing."

Some increases will take place this year. They include tariffs of:

  • 100% on electric vehicles, up from 25%
  • 50% on solar cells, up from 25%
  • 50% on syringes and needles, up from zero
  • 25% on lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, and battery parts, up from 7.5%
  • 25% on certain critical minerals, up from zero
  • 25% on steel and aluminum products, up from a range of zero to 7.5%
  • 25% on respirators and face masks, up from zero to 7.5%
  • 25% on cranes used to unload container ships, up from 0%

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Other hikes will be phased in, including:

  • 50% on semiconductors, up from 25%, by 2025
  • 25% on other lithium-ion batteries, by 2026
  • 25% on natural graphite and permanent magnets, up from zero, by 2026
  • 25% on rubber medical and surgical gloves, up from 7.5%, by 2026

Tai also told reporters that the administration is concerned about Chinese electric vehicle makers setting up factories in Mexico to evade tariffs. "Stay tuned," she warned.

The White House says this is different from Trump's approach

Trump had made tariffs on China one of his signature policy moves when he was in the White House. At first, some Democrats warned this could really hurt the economy — and that American consumers would pay the price.

Biden's team began reviewing those tariffs when he took office, and now has decided to keep them in place — though it is working on an exclusion process for machinery used by domestic manufacturers, particular in the solar industry.

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"One of the challenges is once tariffs have been imposed, it is quite difficult politically to reduce them — because the affected industry tends to get used to them, like them, operate with them as baked into their plans," said Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who was U.S. trade representative during the Obama administration.

The White House has tried to distinguish its strategy from Trump's approach. It points to comments made by Trump in rallies and interviews that he would broaden tariffs on all imported goods, including targeting Chinese cars, if he wins the election — something that they said would hike consumer prices. Biden's strategy is a "smarter approach," Tai told Morning Edition.

"They are designed to be strategic and not chaotic. They are designed to be effective and not emotional," she told White House reporters.

China expresses 'strong dissatisfaction'

The White House has downplayed the risk that the new tariffs could spark retaliation from China, saying that the issues have been discussed during meetings of top U.S. and Chinese officials, and were unlikely to come as a surprise.

But in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Biden said he expected some retaliation.

"I'm sure China will talk a lot about it, but the fact is China already is, what you might say is, way over, way over their skis on this," Biden said in the interview. "I think they'll probably try to figure out how they can raise tariffs, maybe on products that are unrelated."

China's commerce ministry said Beijing "firmly opposes" the decision, and said the review process had been "abused" for domestic political reasons. "China expresses its strong dissatisfaction," it said.

The decision to raise tariffs is a violation of Biden's promises "not to seek to suppress China or curb its development" or decouple from China, the ministry said. It said the action was out of step with the spirit of consensus reached between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and "will seriously affect the atmosphere around bilateral cooperation."

"China will take resolute measures to defend its rights and interests," it said.

NPR China Correspondent John Ruwitch contributed to this report.

Biden announces new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles (2024)

FAQs

Biden announces new tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, including electric vehicles? ›

President Biden slapped tariffs on $18 billion of imports of goods from China including electric vehicles, semiconductors and medical products to protect U.S. workers and companies in the strategic sectors and punish China for unfair trade practices.

Did the US impose tariffs on Chinese goods? ›

New and Increased Tariffs on Chinese-Origin Goods

These duties, which range from 7.5% to 25% and apply to roughly $550 billion in Chinese imports, were levied to induce China to change these practices. USTR initiated its four-year review of the Section 301 tariffs in May 2022.

What is the tariff on electronic components from China? ›

Tariffs on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products will climb to 25% this year. Computer chip tariffs will double to 50% by 2025. For lithium-ion EV batteries, tariffs will rise from 7.5% to 25% this year. But for non-EV batteries of the same type, the tariff increase will be implemented in 2026.

What is section 301 tariff? ›

Section 301 authorizes the USTR to (1) impose duties or. other import restrictions, (2) withdraw or suspend trade. agreement concessions, or (3) enter into a binding. agreement with the foreign government to either eliminate. the conduct in question (or the burden to U.S. commerce) or.

Does China have import tariffs? ›

China Customs assesses and collects tariffs. Import tariff rates are divided into six categories: general rates, most-favored-nation (MFN) rates, agreement rates, preferential rates, tariff rate quota rates, and provisional rates. As a member of the WTO, imports from the United States are assessed at the MFN rate.

Why did Biden put tariffs on China? ›

To encourage China to eliminate its unfair trade practices regarding technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, the President is directing increases in tariffs across strategic sectors such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to- ...

Who started tariffs on China? ›

An economic conflict between China and the United States has been ongoing since January 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump began setting tariffs and other trade barriers on China with the goal of forcing it to make changes to what the U.S. says are longstanding unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft ...

Why are electronics cheaper in China? ›

Infrastructure - In China, almost every product is produced in a region where their suppliers are all nearby. e.g. electronics in Shenzhen, tiles in Foshan, furniture in Shunde, etc. Having suppliers nearby saves time and cost.

What is the import duty on electronic goods from China? ›

Peak rate of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) is 20%. The Goods and Services Tax (GST): Electronic goods are mostly at 18%. BCD on 217 tariff lines covered under Information Technology Agreement (ITA-1) of WTO is 0%.

What did Trump put tariffs on? ›

No such act has been introduced in Congress, but Trump has moved to impose tariffs on solar panels, washing machines, steel, and aluminum. The enforcement of the tariffs falls primarily within the purview of the Department of Commerce and Office of the United States Trade Representative.

How do I avoid Section 301 tariffs? ›

The Developments: There are a number of options that companies can employ to avoid paying the Section 301 duties, including product exclusion requests, changing the tariff classification and country of origin of Chinese-origin products imported into the United States, and duty deferral or elimination programs.

What is a tariff drawback in China? ›

Duty drawback is a procedure in which am importer could receive a refund of customs duties assessed on the importation of an article or materials which are exported or destroyed.

How much is tariff tax from China to the USA? ›

The United States is currently imposing a 25 percent tariff on approximately $250 billion of imports from China and a 7.5 percent tariff on approximately $112 billion worth of imports from China.

Do I pay tax on imports from China? ›

You'll need to pay customs duty (or import tax) on any goods you move across the US border from China, though goods from some countries are exempt due to different international trade agreements. The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforces customs rules.

Will I get charged import tax from China? ›

Usually there would be duty costs when importing goods from China, India, Taiwan and the USA but there are some cases where Duty and VAT relief is granted. Duty and VAT relief can be granted on sample of a product if: Once imported they can only be used as sample products.

Does the US have tariffs? ›

Approximately 94 percent of U.S. merchandise imports by value are industrial (non-agricultural) goods. The United States currently has a trade-weighted average import tariff rate of 2.0 percent on industrial goods. One-half of all industrial goods imports enter the United States duty free.

Are tariffs good for the economy? ›

If you are a domestic producer, tariffs can help you by making your goods cheaper compared to international goods, thus helping your business. If you export your goods to other countries that impose tariffs, this may reduce the demand for your goods, thus hurting your business.

What is Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974? ›

Under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, USTR has broad authority for a range of possible responsive actions to meet the goal of eliminating or otherwise resolving these unfair practices, such as the imposition of duties or other restrictions on goods or services.

What is a tariff in simple words? ›

Tariff. Tariffs are taxes imposed by one country on goods or services imported from another country. Tariffs are trade barriers that raise prices and reduce available quantities of goods and services for U.S. businesses and consumers.

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