新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Why Biden Is Escalating Trump’s China Tariffs
新闻日期：2024-09-20
美国政府加强了特朗普时代的中国关税
美国总统实施关税，回应中国的工业和贸易政策
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美方声称，中国的投资计划将导致中国在战略领域的竞争优势，这将威胁美国的经济安全。新的关税将鼓励美国在中国以外地区进行更多投资，以提高国内生产力。
美国政府加强了中国制动电池的关税
美国总统实施关税，限制中国在汽车市场上的影响
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美方认为，中国的出口政策可能会对美国汽车行业产生影响。新的关税将使中国电动汽车更难进入美国市场。
美国政府加强了中国重型港口设备的关税
美国总统实施关税，确保全球海运供应链安全
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美方称，中国的港口设备产能扩张可能推高美国港口设备价格。
原文摘要：
US President is tariffs on products from China in response to what American officials call especially in strategic sectors where the world’s biggest economies are jockeying for dominance. After a review of the increased tariffs that his predecessor, , imposed on a range of Chinese goods, the Biden administration said in May that it would maintain those and add more of its own on about $18 billion worth of annual imports. Both the Trump and now the Biden governments have justified the moves by saying China’s industrial and trade policies threaten US competitors and domestic economic security more broadly. The Chinese sectors targeted by the new levies — electric vehicles, batteries and semiconductors — are among the same ones that Biden is trying to develop at home to reindustrialize the US and create jobs. The European Union also plans to impose its own on EVs shipped from China following an investigation into state subsidies that Beijing uses to support its carmakers. In both cases, raising additional trade barriers carries the risk that China will respond in kind. Most of the new US levies are on Sept. 27, following a month-long public comment period overseen by the US Trade Representative’s office. Here’s a guide to the key US tariff hikes, with credit to Kyle Handley, associate professor of economics at the University of California San Diego, for the value of each category. US tariff change: From 25% to 50% in 2025Value of 2023 imports from China: $2.3 billionMotivation: Both China and the US are determined to in computer chip manufacturing. In addition to investing to ramp up its domestic semiconductor industry, the US government has deployed to contain China’s ambitions. These new levies aim to counter China’s aggressive push in so-called legacy chips, which are components of an older generation that nevertheless remain essential to the global economy. The levies come after a formal review of US supply chains for those semiconductors and alongside a similar survey by the EU. A big longer-term worry is how China might use a technology edge for military purposes. Risks: The US may be overestimating China’s capacity to produce legacy chips. China could weaponize them by increasing costs “after getting companies and consumers hooked,” according to Emily Benson, director of the Project on Trade and Technology at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. US tariff change: From no tariff to 25% in 2024 and 2026Value of 2023 imports from China: $348.5 millionTariffs on several critical minerals such as cobalt, graphite and zinc — key inputs for making EVs — will go from zero to 25%. Most will take effect this year, while the duty for natural graphite will come into force in 2026. In its final report released on Sept. 13, the USTR added a proposal to increase the tariff to 25% on some categories of tungsten — a chemical element used in industries such as aerospace, autos and defense. Motivation: China’s investments in building an industrial network to source the materials needed to build a less carbon-intensive economy have made it the in critical minerals. An overdependence on any single country makes manufacturers vulnerable to supply disruptions, and with China, there’s the additional risk of strained ties snowballing. In December, China on natural graphite. Risks: Almost one-third of the weight of an EV comes from graphite, and the US has less than 1% of the world’s supply versus China’s 90%. The delay in imposing the tariff on it may provide time to fix the sourcing imbalance, according to Gracelin Baskaran, the director of the Project on Critical Minerals Security at the . One result of the tariffs overall could be higher supply-chain costs for US automakers, she says. But she adds that it’s difficult to predict the impact considering that minerals might be rerouted to avoid the tariffs.US tariff change: From 25% to 100% in 2024Value of 2023 imports: $385.9 millionMotivation: Quadrupling EV tariffs will eliminate any hope Chinese producers had of cracking the US market, which was already virtually impenetrable given the previous tariff. The Biden administration wants to ensure Chinese imports don’t flood into the US, where domestic carmakers fear vehicles from China would stunt their share of a growing market. That’s already started to happen in Europe. Risks: Chinese automakers may set up shop in Mexico, in part with the hope of exporting cars from there to the US to avoid the tariffs. The Biden administration says it’s watching for such moves and considering a ban, for national security reasons, on internet-connected Chinese cars that about US citizens and infrastructure. The US tariff change poses the risk to Europe that China will start dumping low-priced EVs into auto-producing economies such as Germany, France and Italy.US tariff change: From 7.5% to 25% in 2024-26Value of 2023 imports: $13.1 billionMotivation: US officials worry that Chinese overcapacity in the battery industry will impede the development of US capabilities in a field that is critical to the green transition over the next decade or two. The tariffs are aimed at encouraging investments in the US battery industry and the sourcing of raw materials outside of China.Risks: Among the risks analysts cite is the potential for setbacks in US efforts to reduce carbon emissions. According to Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, Chinese exports of lithium-ion batteries are important for grid storage of intermittent solar power. “US efforts to decarbonize its grid could slow down,” he says.US tariff change: From 7.5% to 25% in 2024Value of 2023 imports: $1.3 billionMotivation: Of all the new or hiked tariffs, trade observers consider these to be the most politically motivated — given the number of swing states in the Rust Belt, where Trump and his election rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, have made numerous campaign stops. The applauded Biden’s decision as a way to counter China’s trade practices. But the impact on domestic aluminum producers will be minimal because China accounts for just 2% of US imports, according to Moody’s Ratings, which added that the fallout on US steel companies won’t be large either.Risk: Higher tariffs are likely to boost production costs for automakers, which use a lot of the metals, so consumers might wind up on the losing end. US tariff change: From no tariff to 25% in 2024Value of 2023 imports: $80.5 millionMotivation: Espionage by China using its civilian maritime equipment has risen up the US government’s list of concerns, given the vast assets and infrastructure the country controls in global shipping. That includes state-controlled container carriers, port terminal operators, shipbuilders and crane producers. Wrapping up its four-year review in mid-September, USTR said cranes ordered before May 14, 2024, would be excluded from the new tariff. Risks: China is the dominant maker of those giant cranes used to lift containers in ports around the world, so trying to find producers elsewhere may make the process more complicated and costlier. American ports forced to pay extra would likely pass those costs along to cargo carriers, which in turn would raise fees on importers and exporters.
