While high officials in the Biden administration — and President Joe Biden himself — have repeatedly proclaimed that America does not seek to decouple from China, the latest move to impose extreme tariffs on certain Chinese goods goes in exactly that direction. It’s a bad idea driven by U.S. election year politics.

Removing import tariffs on Chinese goods could lower consumer prices in the U.S. amid inflation, dissipate the U.S.-China trade war, and support the administration’s overall strategy to strengthen its presence and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

U.S.-Sino ties plunged during the Trump administration, but the downfall has only intensified since Biden’s presidency. Without concrete policy shifts, the tensions, fueled by defense contractors, translate to arms races and elevated nuclear risks in Asia.

The measures have dismally failed to meet the objectives of the Trump administration, and Biden should lift them immediately. Doing so, with China following suit, will usher in a new period of robust expansion that supports economic recovery on both sides of the Pacific.

Tariffs have ceased to be an effective bargaining chip for the United States as it seeks concessions from China. The effort at compulsion has been a miserable failure as China adapted effectively and U.S. consumers bore the costs. U.S. President Joe Biden should rethink his approach to relations.

Filing formalizes threat made by President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative amid trade talks with Beijing.

The U.S. trade deficit fell to an eight-month low in February as imports from China plunged.

China promises subsidy compliance with WTO rules, the U.S. stays skeptical.

Imports from US shrink, strengthening Beijing’s resolve to resist concessions.

Trade is essential to the success of America and the American people. It represents about a third of U.S. GDP, and has helped build the U.S. economy into the undisputed #1. Tariffs are bad news for everyone.