THE US Biden administration is sharply raising tariffs on Chinese imports, ranging from electric vehicles to solar cells, in a pre-election effort to protect US jobs, reports London's Financial Times.
The White House said US$18 billion of Chinese goods would be hit by the rises, which were "carefully targeted at strategic sectors" and designed to buy time for US companies to catch up with Chinese rivals in green technology.
In one of the biggest moves, the US will quadruple the tariff on Chinese electric vehicles to 10 per cent this year.
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden in front of leaders of several US labour unions, President Joe Biden said China had engaged in "cheating" by employing unfair trade practices, including for EVs, and also with cyber espionage.
"Whether it's gas, electric or hybrid, we're never going to allow China to unfairly control the market for these cars-period," he said.