Washington Update

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday announced the conclusion of the Section 301 four-year review, which proposes the United States maintain all existing tariffs on Chinese goods and raise tariffs in “strategic sectors.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday unveiled a new National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP) while speaking at a cybersecurity conference in San Francisco. While the strategy does not directly mention China, the blueprint is widely understood to be the administration’s response to cyber threats from both China and Russia.

On Wednesday, the Treasury Department and State Department announced nearly 300 new sanctions aimed at entities circumventing US sanctions on Russia. The sanctioned entities include several Chinese firms.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is wrapping up his three-day visit to China, which began on Wednesday. Earlier today, Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden called on the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to triple the Section 301 tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum to 22.5 percent, up from a current average of 7.5 percent. The increased Section 301 tariffs would be added on top of an import’s regular duty rate and any existing antidumping and countervailing duties.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China on a trip that ended Tuesday to discuss economic and national security matters with senior Chinese officials. In meetings, Yellen expressed concerns about Chinese “overcapacity” and the negative impacts on US businesses.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping held their sixth conversation since Biden took office, building upon discussions from their summit in San Francisco last November. According to the US readout, Biden touched on US export controls, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia, among other issues important to US economic and national security.

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) will serve as the next chair of the Select Committee on the CCP. This comes after current chair, Mike Gallagher (R-WI), announced last week that April 19 will be his last day in Congress.

During a Wednesday House Agriculture Committee hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed concern about the potential dangers posed by China acquiring more US farmland. However, not all are on board with the approach some states have taken to restrict these transactions.

On Wednesday, the House passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act by a margin of 365 to 65, sending it to the Senate. The bill, led by House Select Committee on the CCP Chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), would prohibit TikTok from being hosted in app stores in the United States unless the app separates from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.