Biden pushes to triple tariffs on Chinese steel, aluminum

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Joe Biden urged a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, citing "unfair competition" as he seeks to win blue-collar votes in November's election.

Biden's call comes as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced it is launching a probe into China's trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors in response to a recent petition by five U.S. unions.

The president was preparing to address steelworkers in Pittsburgh later yesterday, the second day of a three-day trip through the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania.

Both Biden and his election rival Donald Trump are competing for vital blue-collar voters, promising to revive American manufacturing.

"Chinese policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries mean high-quality U.S. products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions," the White House said in a statement.

A senior U.S. official told reporters that China accounts for about half of global steel production, while exporting the metal at a significantly lower cost than U.S. steel prices.

As the USTR reviews tariffs imposed on China during Trump's administration, Biden urged it to triple an existing rate under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

Currently, the average tariff on steel and aluminum under this section is 7.5 percent.

The so-called Section 301 investigation was the primary tool the Trump administration used in the trade war with China to justify tariffs.

The White House added yesterday that Biden is also directing officials to work with Mexico to prevent tariff evasion by China.