US Trade Rep Expected To Approve China Tariffs In "Coming Days"

MNI London: The United States Trade Representative is poised to approve tariff increases on around USD$18 billion dollars of Chinese goods, "in the coming days", according to a USTR spokesperson quoted by Bloomberg. The tariffs are likely to come into effect in around two weeks.

• Bloomberg reports: “The [USTR] is set to make a final determination on the proposed increases that President Joe Biden announced in May on products including electric vehicles, semiconductors and batteries to solar cells and critical minerals. The USTR move — considered a formality — had been repeatedly put off, delaying the date the tariffs go into effect.”
• A USTR spokesperson said in a statement: "USTR continues to develop the final determination regarding proposed modifications of the actions in the Section 301 investigation of the People’s Republic of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation."
• Reuters notes: “The [USTR] statement came shortly after White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan returned to Washington after several days of talks with senior Chinese officials in Beijing, including a meeting on Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping where both sides emphasized the need to manage the U.S.-China relationship.”
• The determination, initially scheduled to have been announced today, will cap a statutory five-year review of the Section 301 tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in 2018.