The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced on December 26 that it would extend tariff exclusions for certain imports into China, this time from December 31, 2023, to May 31, 2024. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has been exempted from tariffs on several occasions, so there is a "split personality" situation in the U.S. trade policy toward China, because Kathleen Day, a Chinese-American official who is the U.S. Trade Representative, has taken a tough stance and openly opposes the cancellation of the trade war against China. While U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo called on the Biden administration to abandon the trade war with China, Kathleen Day insisted on a trade war with China.
Katherine Day has repeatedly blocked the lifting of the trade war with China, highlighting the tough stance of this Chinese-American official, compared with the rest of the Biden administration cabinet members, Catherine Dai has a hawkish style in the United States, on the issue of trade with China, Catherine Dai is insisting on a tough position, and has publicly stated before that the Biden administration will not give up the trade war against China until there is no other strategy to counter China. Yellen, as the U.S. Treasury Secretary, and Raimondo, who is the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, have repeatedly pushed the Biden administration to cancel the trade war with China, but they still can't convince Catherine Day, so there is now a situation where some products are exempted again.
Judging from the waiver announcement issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai insisted that the trade war against China was "self-inflicted" Since we want to insist on a trade war, it is normal that there should be no exemption from tariffs, but now the operation of the United States is to insist on the trade war at the same time, and allow some Chinese goods to obtain preferential tariffs from the United States, which has a very funny scene, the United States has shown a very tough stance on China, and at the same time has given China some goods exemption from punitive tariffs, in fact, this is the United States "good at self-interest" Because the U.S. exempts products related to U.S. interests, and if the U.S. can find alternatives, it will not grant China a corresponding exemption.
When the United States insists on a trade war with China, it is already promoting the so-called "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework", which is a strategy to counter China personally promoted by US President Joe Biden. When it comes to encircling and containing China, the United States has stopped pretending to do anything to China and wants to "decouple" from China in many areas. As far as the United States is concerned, the United States will certainly be unreasonable if it can be unreasonable, but the United States will absolutely not give up whatever is beneficial to the United States, and the exemption granted by the United States to some Chinese goods is something that is beneficial to the United States.
Since Biden took office as president of the United States, the United States has not given up its hostile stance towards China, which can be seen from the United States' insistence on the trade war against China, and at the same time, the United States has not given up the chip war against China, highlighting the United States' position and strategy of not allowing China to develop high-tech. At the time of China's rise, the United States was worried that China would replace the United States as the "hegemon," so the United States strengthened its efforts to contain and contain China. The United States is not only doing it on its own, but is also actively rallying other countries to jointly deal with China, and recently the United States has been encouraging the Philippines to stir up trouble in the South China Sea.
China is the world's factory, but in order to weaken China's competitiveness, the United States has imposed punitive tariffs against China, highlighting the hostility of the United States towards China. Because the United States needs to import a large number of goods from China, in the face of the "double-edged sword" of the trade war, the United States has adopted a roundabout strategy, insisting on the trade war while avoiding American losses through tariff exemptions, so the United States' approach highlights the cunning side of American politicians.