Many American companies want tariffs imposed during the Donald Trump presidency lifted to encourage trade between the United States and China.
“Many businesses are frustrated with the application process, as the majority is denied without explanation,” said Douglas Barry, a spokesman for the U.S.-China Business Council, said in a report from the South China Morning Post. “As security issues are driving priorities in both countries, trade is no longer front and center.”
The Trump administration and China signed a partial trade agreement in 2020 aimed at ending a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, according to SCMP. The agreement included “provisions covering purchase commitments, financial market access, intellectual property protection, and enforcement.”
President Joe Biden has said he is not prepared to drop the Trump-era tariffs “because China has not lived up to its purchasing agreements under the phase-one trade deal,” according to the report.
The U.S. government recently released data they claim shows China is still behind in purchasing goods from U.S. farms, as well as manufactured goods, energy, and services, the report stated. The dispute has caused trade talks between the two countries to stall.
According to the U.S.-China Business Council, the main reason U.S. lawmakers do not oppose tariffs is because of an anti-China mood prevailing in Washington, in which the benefits of confrontation outweigh costs to constituents, SCMP reported.