The U.S. Trade Representative’s stance on China’s tariffs is inconsistent, and experts analyze the core reasons

# Global Times

U.S. Trade Representative Greer sends contradictory signals on China tariffs, shifting from advancing Section 301 investigations to keeping tariffs unchanged. Experts say the inconsistency reflects Washington’s conflicting mindset of “containing China while relying on it,” as well as a long-standing tug-of-war between hardliners and pragmatists in U.S. domestic politics.

U.S. Trade Representative Greer stated publicly on the 25th that the United States will seek to **keep tariffs on China unchanged**.

He told Fox Business: “The current tariff rate is 10%. Some countries will go up to 15%, others may be higher. I think that will continue our past pattern of tariff adjustments.”

Asked whether he would impose new tariffs on Chinese goods that could break a fragile trade truce, Greer said: “We have no intention of raising rates above current levels. We intend to honor the agreement we have with China.”

Before pledging to keep China tariffs unchanged, Greer had said he would press ahead with **Section 301 investigations** against China.

According to Reuters, Greer said on the 20th that the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office would launch multiple new investigations under Section 301, covering most major trading partners and areas including pharmaceutical pricing.

He added that USTR planned to speed up investigations and stressed that tariffs would be one tool available if unfair trade practices were found.

On the 25th, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce responded to Greer’s remarks about launching a Section 301 probe into China’s implementation of the China-U.S. phase-one trade deal.

Since the phase-one deal took effect in early 2020, the spokesperson said, China has acted in good faith and overcome multiple headwinds, including the unexpected COVID-19 shock, supply chain disruptions, and the global economic downturn.

China has earnestly fulfilled its obligations, completed commitments on schedule in strengthening intellectual property protection and opening financial and agricultural markets, and fully delivered on expanding trade cooperation.

The spokesperson also warned: If the U.S. insists on advancing relevant investigations, and even imposes tariffs or other restrictive measures on that basis, **China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests**.

Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the core reasons for Greer’s contradictory remarks are twofold.

First, Washington’s deep-seated hegemonic mentality means its strategy to contain China’s development remains unchanged, yet the U.S. still needs China’s cooperation on many economic and global issues, leaving its China policy swinging between “containment” and “dependence.”

Second, there is a long-running rivalry between hardliners and relative pragmatists in the U.S. political arena.

Divergences between different forces on China policy are reflected in official statements, leading to **confused and contradictory policy signals**.

Source: Global Times

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