Biden finalizes increases to China tariffs | CNN Politics

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The Biden administration said Friday that it has finalized tariff hikes on certain Chinese-made products that the president first announced in May.

The tariff rate will go up to 100% on electric vehicles, to 50% on solar cells and to 25% on electrical vehicle batteries, critical minerals, steel, aluminum, face masks and ship-to-shore cranes beginning September 27, according to the US Trade Representative’s Office.

Tariff hikes on other products, including semiconductor chips, are set to take effect over the next two years.

The administration’s increases come as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have clashed over tariffs on the campaign trail. Trump is calling for sweeping new duties on all imports, while Harris has said that his proposal would raise prices on American households.

Trump implemented sweeping tariffs on about $300 billion of Chinese-made products when he was in office. President Joe Biden has kept those tariffs in place and, after the USTR finished a multiyear review earlier this year, decided to increase some of the rates on about $15 billion of Chinese imports.

The products that will now face increases are in line with Biden’s other economic policies aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing in industries including clean energy and semiconductor chips.

“Today’s finalized tariff increases will target the harmful policies and practices of the People’s Republic of China that continue to impact American workers and businesses,” US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a press release.

China is expected to retaliate by increasing tariffs on US-made goods.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters in May that China opposes “the unilateral imposition of tariffs which violate (World Trade Organization) rules, and will take all necessary actions to protect its legitimate rights.”

If elected, Trump has said he will significantly increase the tariffs the US has on imports from all over the world. He’s called for new tariffs of up to 20% on every foreign import coming into the US, as well as another tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports. He also said he would impose a “100% tariff” on countries that shift away from using the US dollar.

CNN’s Kayla Tausche contributed to this report.