ITI Predicts ‘Stepped Tariffs Removal Process’ Under Biden

Rolling back a “substantial number” of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods likely will be a “first order of business” for the Biden administration’s trade policy, said the Information Technology Industry Council Tuesday. The duties have “proven to be punishing to American consumers and businesses,” it said. The new administration will need to negotiate with the Chinese “to potentially achieve or strengthen commitments on trade issues and to ensure a stepped tariffs removal process on both sides,” it said. “This can serve as a relatively easy trust building exercise and ‘low-hanging’ fruit as the administration seeks to reestablish more routine government-to-government discussions.” It can also provide “an early window” into which issues the new administration will “prioritize in trade discussions with China,” it said. Neither the Biden team nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to questions.