The Biden administration on Friday (Sep 13) locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100 per cent duty on electric vehicles, to strengthen protections for strategic domestic industries from China’s state-driven excess production capacity.
The US Trade Representative’s office told Reuters that many of the tariffs, including a 100 per cent duty on Chinese EVs, 50 per cent on solar cells and 25 per cent on steel, aluminium, EV batteries and key minerals, would go into effect on Sep 27.
The USTR determination, first reviewed by Reuters, showed a 50 per cent duty on Chinese semiconductors, which now include two new categories – polysilicon used in solar panels and silicon wafers – are due to start in 2025.
Adjustments to the punitive “Section 301” tariffs on US$18 billion worth of goods announced in May by President Joe Biden were minimal and disregarded auto industry pleas for lower tariffs on graphite and critical minerals needed for EV battery production because they are still too dependent on Chinese supplies.
USTR left unchanged the tariff increase to 25 per cent from zero on lithium-ion batteries, minerals and components, with the increase for batteries for EVs taking effect Sep 27 and those for all other devices, including laptops and cell phones, on Jan 1, 2026.
From: channelnewsasia
Business News
