President-elect Joe Biden says he won’t immediately remove the tariffs that President Trump imposed on China.
In an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday, Biden said he would not “make any immediate moves” on tariffs, adding that he was “not going to prejudice my options.”
He told the newspaper that he wants to review existing agreements with China and then turn to allies in Asia and Europe “so we can develop a coherent strategy.”
Trump signed the first phase of a U.S.-China trade agreement in January, under which China agreed to boost purchases of U.S. goods by $200 billion over the next two years. According to the Times, China has fallen behind on those purchases.
Earlier in his presidency, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on about half of China’s exports to the U.S.
Biden said in September that he views China as a “serious competitor,” citing the spiking trade deficit with Beijing, and said it was important that the U.S. strengthened “relationships and our alliances in Asia.”
“The best China strategy, I think, is one which gets every one of our — or at least what used to be our — allies on the same page,” Biden told the Times. “It’s going to be a major priority for me in the opening weeks of my presidency to try to get us back on the same page with our allies.”
Ties between Washington and Beijing have been strained in recent years over issues including trade, the coronavirus pandemic and disputes over intellectual property, the South China Sea and election meddling.
Biden has previously signaled that he supports tough policy on China, but his aides have said the incoming administration will open dialogue between the countries on areas like climate change and combatting COVID-19.
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Biden on his victory last week, marking their first communication since Biden was projected to win the presidency.